The Dallas Mavericks had a relatively loud offseason at least in the coaching department. They said goodbye to long-time head coach Rick Carisle and hello to Jason Kidd, who coached LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the past five years. Meanwhile in the roster standpoint, not much turnover was done except the addition of guys like Reggie Bullock. Overall, there wasn’t much of a drastic roster change.
Which is why, the Mavericks might once again not be able to contend for a championship this season. Are they better than last season? No one knows yet. Will they be able to finally get out of the first round? Maybe but that will still depend. All these uncertainties are exactly why the Mavs are still stuck in the middle tier of a competitive western conference. Here are three reasons why Luka Doncic and co won’t win a championship this season:
Mavericks Championship Issues
Luka still does not have a reliable co-star
The NBA is a superstars league and in order to win a championship, these stars come together. In Dallas’ case, the heavy load has been on Doncic’s shoulders for quite some time and it seems it may not get better. Forward Kristaps Porzingis is supposed to step up as Doncic’ secondary option but the former’s durability is a huge question mark. Doncic has his shooters but it’s also fair to doubt their skill set especially come playoff time. There’s only so much Luka can do and at this point, Mark Cuban really needs to find a way to get his superstar some help.
Luka Doncic by quarter this playoffs:
1Q: 85 PTS, 54 FG%, 48 3P%
2Q: 71 PTS, 62 FG%, 57 3P%
3Q: 54 PTS, 44 FG%, 32 3P%
4Q: 40 PTS, 35 FG%, 28 3P%You can’t run the offense every single possession and not get tired. He needs playmaking help. pic.twitter.com/yWAfbchEjN
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 6, 2021
Imagine if Doncic had another co-star say Karl Anthony Towns type of player? How dangerous would the Mavericks be? Or maybe even another ball handler who can take the load off Doncic especially come playoff time. As great as Luka has become, his first round exits are clear signs that he needs another superstar to depend on.
The western conference is packed
There are easily four teams in the competitive western conference that can be picked over the Mavericks: the L.A. Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and maybe even the Denver Nuggets (just because no one in the Mavs can contain Nikola Jokic). This alone already puts the Mavs in the middle tier of their conference, which they’ve kind of been in for a while. Remember, the Mavs faced their western conference counterparts more than twice in the regular season so their games are harder. If they’re not better than any of these teams mentioned above, how are they even expected to go to the finals and win a championship?
The current Mavs roster just seems too young and a little mediocre besides Doncic, of course. As mentioned above, superstars are the reason why teams go far in the playoffs and right now, the Mavericks just don’t have more than one of those.
Jason Kidd has yet to prove himself as a coach
Jason Kidd on Mavs shooting far fewer 3s than Rick Carlisle's offense:
"We’re not just going to rely on jump shooting because that can leave you at any part of the season or in the playoffs. If that happens, you don’t have anything to fall back on, and that means an early exit."
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) October 7, 2021
Kidd may have won a ring with the Los Angeles Lakers but this was as an assistant coach. His leadership as a head coach hasn’t been solidified yet so it’s going to be interesting to see how he changes the culture in Dallas. Will Kidd be able to bring out the best in Luka’s game? The newly hired coach has already hinted that he wants the Mavericks to take less three point shots, which is somewhat head scratching. But who knows? Maybe this might eventually work out for Luka and company.
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