Three big questions for Mavericks offseason How to upgrade around Luka Doncic What to do with Jalen Brunson

Wiki Article

After falling to the in the Western Conference finals in five games, the now face a pivotal offseason with some key questions ahead of them. First off, let's not minimize what the Mavericks just did. Not only did they win their first playoff series since 2011 by beating the in the first round, they then beat the top-seeded in a seven-game thriller to be one of the final four teams standing. Absolutely no one predicted that would happen. continued to build his legacy with his standout play, and guys like and elevated their profile in the league with Ivica Zubac Jersey several signature performances.However, as impre sive as the Mavericks' playoff run was, there's plenty of room for improvement ahead of next season. With Dallas shifting its focus to the offseason, here are three major questions it will need to addre s in order to improve for the 2022-23 season.You could argue that there wasn't anyone in the playoffs who raised their stock as much as Brunson did. It started in the first round when Doncic was sidelined for the first three games against the Jazz. During that time, Brunson carried the Mavericks to a 2-1 lead before Doncic returned, while averaging 32 points, 5.3 a sists and 5.3 rebounds, and shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from deep.In that more prominent role, Brunson showed that he can be an efficient scorer and playmaker without turning the ball over at a high rate. Even when he did return to his secondary role when Doncic came back, Brunson still managed to be a reliable scorer throughout the rest of the playoffs. That's great news for the former second-round pick in terms of finding a lucrative deal this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agency, but for Mark Cuban and the Mavericks, it may make them sweat a little bit. Re-signing Brunson should be at the top of the Mavericks list this offseason. His progre sion to becoming the second-leading scorer was integral in Dallas making a run to the West finals, and without his production the Mavs likely don't make it this far. But Dallas won't be the only team interested in his services. Brunson is expected to this summer, with the and expected to pursue him. While the Mavericks are in a far better position to contend right now Danilo Gallinari Jersey than the Knicks and Pistons, maybe Brunson is interested in joining a team where he won't have to play second fiddle to Doncic.That's where things get tricky for Dallas. If Brunson either commands a price tag that the Mavericks don't want to pay, or he ultimately decides he wants to play elsewhere, Dallas could either explore sign-and-trade opportunities, or lose him for nothing. The latter of the two options is a worst-case scenario, and I imagine Cuban does everything in his power to ensure that doesn't happen.But if Brunson is set on playing with another team, Dallas could take a look at some sign-and-trade po sibilities. Perhaps they , who reportedly If Detroit wants Brunson, maybe a sign-and-trade that would swap Brunson for Detroit Pistons forward could be made po sible for the Mavericks. Executing a sign-and-trade for any player won't be easy for Dallas, as it has little available cap space to take on any max deals. But the Mavericks could get creative in packaging several contracts together, and po sibly trying for a multi-team trade if they lack certain a sets. But whatever Dallas decides to do with Brunson, it's clear that this will be perhaps the biggest piece of the puzzle to the Mavericks offseason. One thing that was made abundantly clear in Dallas' series against the Warriors was how desperately they need an upgrade at center. A combination of and couldn't get the job done in stopping Golden State from getting to the rim. It wasn't Rodney McGruder Jersey just Dallas' inability to limit Golden State's shots around the rim, it was its poor rebounding efforts that only magnified the need for a quality big man. The Warriors out-rebounded the Mavericks by a margin of 10 over the five-game series, and the eight offensive rebounds Golden State averaged a game led to 13.8 second-chance points a night. was the biggest pain in Dallas' side in that regard. No one could stop him from crashing the offensive gla s and kicking the ball back out for a 3-pointer, or going back up with it at the rim.One big man who would immediately solve that problem is , who, , the Mavericks are interested in should he be made available through a trade this summer. The Frenchman is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, and is among the best rim protectors in the league. Though Dallas got past him and the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs this season, it wasn't without difficulty as Gobert made life hard on Brunson and Doncic each time they tried to come into the paint.But trading for Gobert would be costly for Dallas. He has four years and $169.6 million left on his contract, and it would take quite a bit for the Mavs to match that salary to bring him in. Aside from that, it may also not be beneficial for the Mavericks to bring in a traditional center like Gobert, regardle s of his defensive acumen. His inability to stretch the floor on offense would clog the paint for Doncic, and teams have targeted him in the playoffs by pulling him away from the basket and making him defend the 3-point line. The Mavericks were succe sful in doing that as Kleber drained 3s with Gobert late to close out on him numerous times. So any deal that Dallas may consider for Gobert would have Marcus Morris Jersey to take into account that teams may play him off the court by going with a small lineup. If Dallas doesn't want to commit that much money on a big, other options include taking a flier on , who the are reportedly . Bamba had his most impre sive season yet after being selected No. 6 overall in the 2018 draft. He averaged career highs of 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while shooting 48 percent from the field and an impre sive 38 percent from deep on over four attempts per game. His improved 3-point shooting would fit that need of being able to stretch the floor for the Mavericks, and his height -- standing at 7-0 -- would provide the rim protection needed in the paint.There's also , who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after a strong season as backup in Phoenix. will also be an unrestricted free agent, and depending on what the plan to do this summer to reload around , perhaps Dallas could be in play to sign him away from there. Dallas could see what Indiana is looking for in a trade for , and the same goes for in Atlanta, the latter of whom the Mavericks have had interest in for several years.Whether the Mavericks trade for a big man or sign one through free agency, they just need to make sure that they make upgrades at that position. Otherwise they'll just keep letting teams like Golden State punish them in the paint, and lose the battle on the boards due to their lack of size and depth. After the Warriors ended the Mavericks' season, Doncic admitted that he needs to get better on defense for this team to improve, and he's not wrong. Although winning minimizes a lot of faults, Doncic was getting picked on relentle Paul George Jersey sly in the second round against the Suns. Dallas made some adjustments, like showing help defense when Doncic was left on an island, and the superstar guard raised his effort level on that end of the floor. But there were just too many times where Doncic looked like he was stuck in sand and let his opponent drive right past him. I'm not expecting Doncic to suddenly become some All-Defensive player, but he needs to be at least average to the point where he can bother an opposing guard or forward who try to take him one-on-one. Aside from defense, another area that Doncic needs to take seriously is his fitne s level. One of the loudest critiques Doncic heard through the first half of the season was that he was out of shape, and it showed in his sluggish start to the year. There were reports that suggested he than what his listed weight is, which if true, certainly had an impact on his game.As the season wore on his play improved, and he admitted to eating healthier. As a result, the Mavericks finished with the second-best record in the league since the All-Star break and Doncic earned his . But Doncic can't keep showing up to training camp in subpar shape and use the first two months of the regular season to get back to Patrick Beverley Jersey his ideal fitne s level. Doncic making a physical leap may be the next step in elevating his game on both ends of the floor. If he's able to be quicker on his feet, it'll help Dallas push the pace on offense -- especially in transition -- and he won't get blown by every time on defense. Doncic showing up next season in the best shape of his life will be important for the Mavericks, but Dallas also needs to find ways to improve the roster around him. As impre sive as this playoff run was for the Mavs, relying on this roster to get back here again would be a mistake. Doncic has proven that he's ready to contend for titles, now Dallas needs to continue building around him to ensure that happens.
https://seththxl32086.wikibestproducts.com/181088/dallas_goedert_says_fellow_eagles_tight_end_zach_ertz_deserves_a_contract_with_philadelphia
Click here Click here Click here