When it comes to the Dallas Mavericks, prepare to see a lot more of them in the postseason in the coming years as their team is built for the next several according to general manager Nico Harrison. Currently, the Mavericks are facing against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs where they have a 2-1 series lead.
In an interview with Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Harrison and other members of the organization were talking about how they built the team through the draft and especially free agency to the point of success they have now. He made sure to say that in constructing Dallas, they had the thought of it being “built for the next three playoff runs” including the one they're currently in.
“It wasn't really about winning right now,” Harrison said. “It was just about continuing to build it. It's like every step is, how do we continue to get better? And we're not built for just right now; we're built for the next three playoff runs.”
Harrison looked to build Mavericks beyond Doncic and Irving
As soon as the Mavericks traded their draft pick which was Trae Young to the Atlanta Hawks for Luka Doncic in 2018, their foundation was set as the Slovenian-star is arguably one of the top players in the league. There's no doubt he is the center piece and the goal was to build it around him which proceeded the team to acquire Kyrie Irving via a trade in Feb. of 2023.
“I think what we did this year, regardless of what happens in the playoffs, we start next year at a high level,” Harrison said. “We're not starting at, ‘Hey, can Luka and Kyrie play together?' We know that. …You're not answering a bunch of questions. You're like, ‘How good can this team be?'
Now that they have a solid foundation with the Mavericks‘ two mains stars, they now have to give them a strong supporting cast, which is exactly what they did right before the NBA trade deadline where they got busy. They would first get big-man Daniel Gafford who has already made an impact for them and said to ESPN that he knew it would be a good fit for him coming from the Washington Wizards.
“Right spot at the right time,” Gafford said. “I was like, ‘It's going to be a good time being here with this team.'”
Newcomer P.J. Washington called Dallas trade a “confidence-booster”
Another star player they acquired was P.J. Washington from the Charlotte Hornets, who gives the Mavericks more size and a starting power forward they can rely on. He even said that being recognized by Harrison was a “confidence-booster” for the 25-year old player.
“It was a confidence-booster for me,” Washington said. “I feel like Nico [Harrison] knows who I am. He's been around me since high school, so for him to just say those things, it just felt great. I just wanted to piggyback on that and just be aggressive on the defensive end.”
Harrison had major plans for Washington as besides being a threat on the offensive side of the ball, he wanted him to also be a huge factor on the defensive end. While he couldn't show that with the Hornets, the Mavericks general manger said they are “going to be holding him accountable.”
“We're going to be holding him accountable, but he can actually do a lot of things that he doesn't show all the time because the game comes easy to him,” Harrison said via ESPN. “We'll make sure to push him to get the best out of him, but he really does have it on both sides of the ball.”
Gafford said they went “playing for nothing to playing for something”
Going back to Harrison's first quote, it is crucial to realize that besides pairing Doncic with Irving, he obtained two players in Gafford and Washington are both 25-years old, talented, and could be the foundation for this franchise in the coming years. Depending how far they go in the current playoffs, a lot of praise is deserved for the general manager since he took the role in 2021.
Getting two players like Gafford and Washington are crucial as besides their talent, they were both on bottom three teams in the Eastern Conference in the Wizards and Hornets. Now, they can make a winning impact as even Gafford admitted while not wanting to disrespect the teams in question.
“No disrespect to any other team that we were on, but it's just we went from playing for nothing to playing for something,” Gafford said. “It's like we had to lock in a whole different way.”
When it comes to Doncic himself, he has had arguably his best season yet in the NBA as the star is averaging 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds per game while shooting 48.7 percent from the field. He even said earlier in the season that “this team is special” which is a change where he was more vocal about the lack of chemistry with last season's team.
“We're just having fun out there,” Doncic said after a March 29 win over the Sacramento Kings. “[Kyrie and I are] both happy. We're both doing some good things on the floor, and we have great teammates. I think this team is special.”
Mavericks led by head coach Jason Kidd
All of this is led by the head coach in Jason Kidd who obviously has had a prominent career as a former NBA player, widely considered one of the best point guards of all time. Harrison gave Kidd his flowers saying that when leading a group like the Mavericks, “he's the best coach to lead this team.”
“J's done a great job,” Harrison said. “I honestly think he's the best coach to lead this team. I think having the two stars that we have, close your eyes and pick whoever you want, you're not going to find a better fit.”
While the offense has been the flashy part of the team that people love to watch, their defense has been the most underrated part of their game. In the final six weeks of the season, Dallas had the best defensive efficiency which Kidd said to ESPN was just simple in asking his players if they could do it.
“It first starts with asking them, ‘Can you do this?'” Kidd said. “And they said they could. So sometimes things are simple — ask and they said they could. Then just keep showing them [on] film how to get better. They have been sponges and absorbing that information and have been doing it at a high level.”
The Mavericks look to get out of the first round of the NBA Playoffs as they have a 2-1 series lead over the Los Angeles Clippers. Their next game is Sunday afternoon as Dallas looks to get back to the Western Conference Finals like they did in 2022.
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