The Dallas Mavericks have potential. With Luka Doncic on the team, the Mavs should be able to make a playoff run. The trade for Kyrie Irving didn't lead to the results they wanted though, but former NBA player and current analyst/podcaster JJ Redick recently revealed how he believes Dallas must build around Luka, per “The Old Man & the Three” podcast on YouTube.

“Yes,” Redick responded to if the way to build around Luka is by adding shooting and defense. “The thing that I think they've really lacked is that prototypical modern five. To me, that's the big you pair with Luka, a guy that is a rim protector, a guy that can play in drop coverage, that can be a lob threat offensively, because if you surround those two with a bunch of shooting, the floor is spread. You're going to have to double Luka at times. That leaves the rim open. That leaves threes open.”

Redick makes a great point. Luka Doncic needs strong defenders around him so he can focus his energy on the offensive end of the floor. Of course, adding reliable shooters would help matters as well.

The addition of a star big man is something that's been discussed this offseason for the Mavs. Trading for a player such as Deandre Ayton could make sense for Dallas. Luka is tremendous at creating his own shots with the ball in his hands, but he's also a capable distributor. Having a big man he can feed in the post would benefit the Mavs overall.

This is going to be an important offseason for the Mavericks as they try to rebound following their forgettable 2022-23 campaign.