The time is now: Dallas preseason highlights
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Mavericks have put on an electric showing throughout the preseason. The new-look roster brought balance to the bench and focused on improving the big man core. The new additions to the roster, Jaden Hardy and Christian Wood, have been playing exceptionally well, and other role players have also stepped up. In a close win versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, there were three Mavericks players with 10+ points and four players that were one bucket away from being in the double digits.
One of the Mavericks’ biggest challenges on offense during the Western Conference Finals was scoring off the bench. The balanced scoring display we saw versus OKC was a huge improvement from the skewed scoring we saw last year. Hardy scored 21 points, Wood scored 16 points while grabbing 13 rebounds, McKinley Wright IV had eight points with 10 assists, and Josh Green had nine points with four assists. If Dallas’ role players can keep up their play through the season, the franchise will be in a great position to make another deep playoff run.
Beyond Wood and Luka Doncic’s play versus the Orlando Magic, the Mavericks bench showed flashes of its old self. Over 10 players on the Mavericks bench played 10+ minutes but scored less than five points and failed to record any valuable stats. The Mavericks were outrebounded 35-52 and had 13 turnovers, but still managed to keep the game close, only losing by five points.
Newly acquired big man Wood displayed his full scoring arsenal versus the Magic scoring 23 points with very efficient totals of 8-of-12 from the floor, 3-of-6 from three, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Doncic and Wood made the pick-and-roll game look easy, and I can see it being a highly effective option for the Mavericks this season. Wood’s athleticism and size make him a great target in the paint, midrange area, and three-point line. Wood is the best big man the Mavericks have had since Dirk Nowitzki, and with his size and talent, Wood is a great fit in the five-out offense.
In their final preseason game, the Mavericks took down the Utah Jazz 115-101, led by Doncic’s 24-point scoring effort. Wood recorded another double-double while Tim Hardaway Jr. showed his dynamic scoring ability putting up 20 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three and 6-of-10 from the line. The spacing on the offensive end was looking good, and the ball movement is a great sign for the season.
The Mavericks have shooters surrounding Doncic at every position and have created more room for the pick-and-roll by stretching out the defense. Any team that doesn’t have an elite on-ball defender or solid defensive rotations will have a long night playing against the Dallas five-out offense.
The motivation on the roster is at an all-time high, and with players bought into the goal of winning a championship, the Mavericks are in a great spot. There will be a close race in the southwest NBA division between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Mavericks. But, regardless of the standings at the end of the year, Dallas is almost guaranteed a spot in the playoffs and are serious contenders for the championship.
