We, as basketball fans and spectators, just had the privilege and pleasure to finally witness the Dallas Mavericks advance to the NBA Finals for their third time in franchise history. They were not able to pull off the win, but they definitely made a breakthrough to exemplify themselves as definite future contenders and proven themselves as having proven potential to win championships as an organization in the future. With Dallas's best players returning, the sharpshooter Luka Doncic and the veteran playmaker Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks definitely have the capability to achieve winning their second Finals ring in the next following years, sounding very probable and quite promising in the future. Here are some players who could pose to be a threat in the future and establish high impact and contributions to help the Mavericks win their second title.
Luka Doncic, Point Guard, Point-Forward
When we talk about the great players on this current Mavericks roster, let’s not forget about the leading star, Luka Doncic. Already dubbed as the “New Larry Bird”, Doncic possesses the ability to be a threat at his point guard who is listed at an exceptionally large height and weight for his position, which is 6’7” and 230 pounds. Doncic definitely has a great well-rounded game by being able to play every position on the perimeter, from point guard to small forward. His shooting and overall scoring ability is definitely comparable to Bird with averages of 33.9 PPG (1st in the League) and 48.7 FG% (57th in the League). His rebounding and playmaking are also highly impressive as well, such as Bird. He definitely needs to start stepping out of his comfort zone for hustle plays and create more selfless efforts, such as hustling for loose balls, getting his teammates even more involved, and making improved individual efforts on the defensive side of the court. Doncic also needs to continue to improve his overall athleticism in his qualities of the game such as his explosiveness, physicality, stamina, and mental toughness. We then could definitely see the manifestation of the next Larry Bird in this generation if he continues to evolve and mature on his attributes he needs improvement in. Doncic also needs to mature in his ball protection, since he led the league during the 2023-2024 NBA Regular Season in turnovers with 282 in total.
Kyrie Irving, Point Guard, Shooting Guard
Next, we have our veteran legend, the great Kyrie Irving, the ball-handling magician for the Mavericks. Irving has dazzled the league for years with his high-octane finesse, his superior variety of astounding crossovers in his skill-set and style, and his ability to make defenders fear of losing their balance while guarding him and limiting his shot selection as well as his ways of creating and executing shots. He still ranks high in his scoring in the league with 25.6 PPG (14th in the League) and playmaking with 5.2 APG (33th in the League) at his veteran age of 32 years old. A couple of weaknesses Irving has is that he does not put much focus, effort, and emphasis on defense and rebounding. He has always been more of an offensive-minded player who always is more infatuated with finesse rather than being an all-around, aggressive, selfless, and fundamentally sound point guard. Irving needs to make defense and fundamentals more of a priority in his game than focusing on winning so many isolation plays where he secludes his teammates from ball movement and risks turnovers. He also missed a lot of games due to durability due to injury and other issues that do not pertain to his athletic profession. Irving should continue to train his body to become more durable at his older age now as well as refrain so much from taking time off his professional career in the NBA to focus on unrelated issues in his profession, such as refusing to take his COVID-19 vaccine and global violence.
Tim Hardaway Jr., Small Forward
The son of the former NBA great, Tim Hardaway, Tim Hardaway Jr.’s expectations coming into the league were meant to be sky-high and anticipated to be dominant in the league just as his father was in the 1990’s. In some ways, Hardaway Jr. is a lethal player with his streaking shooting, although his career of 14.0 PPG does not seem impressive enough to be considered a superstar in the league like his father. It just makes him more of a great role player at the role position. Hardaway Jr.’s real weakness is his defense. The Mavericks have a liability in Hardaway Jr. with his marginal ability to stick on defenders, rotate defenders in team rotations and close-outs, and losing opposing players on transition defense. Hardaway Jr. needs to become more serious about his role on defense, hustle more aggressively on transitions to prevent scores at the other side of the court, and improve his court awareness and vision in defensive schemes as well. He also needs to improve his rebounding as a forward with him only averaging 3.2 RPG last year.
P.J. Washington, Power Forward
The Mavericks power forward P.J. Washington was acquired from the Charlotte Hornets as a strong defensive player during the NBA 2023-2024 Regular Season whose role would be to defend players from the post to the perimeter. A 6’7” lean and muscular player with a 7’2” wingspan, the Mavericks’ main focal point for Washington was to lock down players from all over the court. Washington moves well to defend the athletic players on the perimeter, and he has the wingspan to block and alter shots excellently. His averages of 1.0 SPG and 0.9 BPG are astounding and his such a big and positive impact for the Mavericks. In order to become more effective as a player, he needs to work on his shooting. Washington is a good offensive post player, but he tended to shoot poorly from the three-point range, particularly more in the corners. His overall three-point percentage last year was a legitimate 31.4 3P%, ironically. Washington still needs to put in more time on free-throw accuracy (62.7% last year) and also improve his lateral quickness and mobility on the defensive side to cover quicker and faster players. Adding more counter post moves could benefit Washington more as well, since he loves to attack the paint through the middle habitually.