Did The Mavericks Actually Get Better?

shout out to Alex! here's his channel: youtube.com/alexhoops

I think getting rid of the version of Hardaway they've had for the last 2 years is an auto win.

As an okc fan I think they 100 percent got better. Klay isn’t what he was a couple years ago but he is becoming underrated, their defense took a hit but not as big as ppl think because I think Marshall can play the DJJ role. Lively is going to get better as well. Definitely a scary team out west for sure (like the rest of the conference 😅)

The Mavs definitely got better simply just by looking at it like this THJ -> Klay(upgrade) Josh Green -> QG(neutral with upgrade potential) DJJ -> Naji Marshall(slight upgrade due to increased shooting floor) Starting lineup defense is definitely worse now but much more defensive support coming off the bench

Here is what people do not get. Klay isnt replacing DJJ, he is replacing THJ! MArshall will replace DJJ and Grimes will replace Green. THJ played 27 minutes on average in the reg season, DJJ 23.5 minutes, Green 26 minutes... And Thompson isnt an elite PoA defender anymore, but he will not play that role anyway. So the minutes will be a bit different. But the roles will be the same. THJ was supposed to be the 3rd scorer going into the season, but was completely unusable in the PO. Except 2 good games he was a complete no show. Thompson might not be the Thompson from 5 years ago... but he is still a clear upgrade over THJ, on offense and on defense. Not to mention we also added Dinwiddie as another guy who can play some minutes as a 2ndary playmaker, even at the 3. He will battle with Exum (defensive option) and Hardy (offensive option) for the backup guard spot behind Luka/Kyrie. Guards: Luka/Kyrie - Dinwiddie/Exum/Hardy Wings: Thompson/Washington - Marshall/Grimes Bigs: Lively - Gafford/Kleber Thats 12 legit guys who could see PO minutes, depending on how the season will go. There will be huge competition in every group for minutes. Not to mention that Dallas is extremely flexible. For example we can go ultra big (bench rotations, not starting lineups) with Luka/Marshall/Washington/Maxi/Lively, or 5 out small with Kyrie/Grimes/Thompson/Washington/Maxi, and everything in between. As a Mavs fan I am more then happy with this offseason.

Not only the additions but the young guys who got Finals experience will most likely have a huge step forward with their game.

Spencer is one of the reason why they reached the western conference finals in 2022. I think jkidd knows how to use him unlike the Lakers.

Simple answer yes they did

The main factor is going to be the number of legs that Luka is having towards the end of the season, last playoffs was 1.5.

Why did you want the Mavs to trade Gafford? This video lost all credibility when you whipped that one out. Lively and Powell as the C duo???

Mavs defense was actually the best defense the Celtics faced on their run to the chip. Celtics only hit 100 pts twice and had stretches of 2-3 min without a bucket. The problem was during those droughts the Mavs couldn't capitalize which basically was a ticking time bomb by the time they start the Celtics just went on a 15-3 run which would be when Lukas defense was unfairly highlighted when his team is shooting 1/14 from 3 on wide open shots. That shit takes a lot of drained energy

I'd like to think they did get better. They finally got a wing who can shoot, Naji Marshall is a solid enough role player, and I'm interested to see what leap Dereck Lively will take into year 2.

I think they got better but honest to god their biggest issue is Kidd. Watching Luka and Kyrie iso against elite perimeter defenders and not attacking Al Horford or Porzingus was genuinely terrible.

Looks like rusty has been hitting the gym

Glad to see alex hoops join the staff, hate what youtube did to his account. No matter how good your content is, with you tube, you live and die by the algorithm.

Great breakdown & The final move, Dinwiddie at vet minimum helps a ton IMO. Solid ball handler and offense creator, may very well allow Luka & Kyrie to get a lot more rest and stay healthy. He can run the bench unit and the Mavs won’t look hapless offensively without LuKai on the floor.

Daniel Gafford is the primary reason their defense took a huge upward swing last season, along with the development of Lively. He gave the Mavs 48 mins of elite rim protection and their entire defense became predicated on funneling guards into that rim protection. Trading him would be taking a huge defensive step back, as their defensive schemes won’t be as effective and is a very weird take to say that would be a good move. Having two elite rim protecting bigs is one of the major points of difference for Dallas vs the other top teams in the league who mostly only have one if any

I feel like klay could go crazy on the Mavs, well see

As a Mavs fan, since Nico becoming GM I love hearing year after year how whatever newly acquired player they’ve gotten is the best so and so player Luka’s played with in his career so far.

Finally someone said something SMART about the mavs