How the role players for the Mavericks have saved their season despite Dončić and Irving’s struggles
The Western Conference Finals are about to be reached by the Dallas Mavericks. This team of supporting actors has kept their season alive.
The process of building the Dallas Mavericks since Luka Dončić made his NBA debut is a subject that is frequently debated in basketball circles. The majority of this conversation has focused on the Mavericks’ incapacity to provide their Slovenian star with enough support, both on the court and in the more physical aspects of the game.
On their route to early postseason elimination, Dončić’s early playoff series saw amazing scoring performances, only to be let down by a weak supporting cast. While Dončić has his share of problems in terms of effort, defense, and style of play, the biggest reason Dallas has failed has been the rosters assembled around him.
In February 2023, Dallas started to buck the trend when they traded for Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving and veteran mainstays Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith. Due to the small roster that surrounded the two superstars, this trade proved to be incredibly unproductive, as the Mavericks unexpectedly missed the playoffs.
There were scathing stories circulating about the transaction since Dallas didn’t seem ready to develop a winning team around its two stars, which led to rumors that Dončić would eventually depart the team. But the Mavericks secretly worked to tighten the margins during the off-season, adding a number of underappreciated players who have radically changed the team’s identity.
Dallas is starting to enjoy the advantages.
The Purchases of Williams, Jones Jr., Lively, Exum, and Exum Had a Significant Impact
Though they went unnoticed, Dallas had an incredible off-season
The Mavericks’ terrible defense, which was caused by a lack of big players on the roster, has been their worst issue for the past five seasons. They lacked good rim protection and had a dearth of perimeter defenders, which was a recipe for defensive collapse. The absence of backline support in the paint for Irving and Dončić at the point-of-attack led to one of the weakest defenses in the league, which hindered their chances of winning titles.
Four minor but crucial decisions put Dallas on the path to resolving this crippling problem: trading for Grant Williams, drafting Dereck Lively, signing Dante Exum from overseas, and signing Derrick Jones Jr. on a veteran minimum. One thing that all four guys have in common is that they are all strong defenders with some offensive upside.
While Jones Jr. is a lockdown point-of-attack defender and one of the NBA’s best athletes, Williams is a stocky, tough defender who can hit threes. Exum is an elite three-point shooter who can guard the ball. Lively is a hyperathletic big man who specializes in rim protection while also being a lob threat.
Contributions of Role Players
Participant
PPG
TS%
MPG
Playoff Average
vibrant
8.8
72.8%
23.5
7.9
Jones, Jr.
8.6
59.2%
23.5
9.8
Exum
7.8
64.5%
19.8
1.7
Williams
8.1
56.0%
26.4
Although none of these trades generated much excitement in the NBA at the time, Dallas has benefited from each of them. Jones Jr., Exum, and Lively have all supplied crucial contributions, while Williams was used in the deal to acquire PJ Washington. The poor Mavericks roster has started to get worse.
