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The Dallas Mavericks have one of the best players in the world in Luka Doncic. However, the Texan squad cannot sort everything out completely for a few seasons now. In the last two seasons, led by Doncic, the Mavericks made the playoffs but were eliminated in the first round. This is despite some serious Luka heroics in both of these first-round exits. This season, it is doubtful whether the Mavericks will even make the postseason. Currently, they sit at a 15-17 record, as the things do not look good. Here are two things the Mavericks need to turn it around.
Mavericks turning points
Trade Kristaps Porzingis and a real co-star for Luka Doncic
The Kristaps Porzingis trade, while it looked great for the Mavericks at the time, did not exactly pan out. The Latvian big man came from the Knicks to be the co-star of Doncic. Unfortunately, injury issues and general incompatibility with the Slovenian really turned this situation sour. Last season, Porzingis had a good regular season, but then dropped to 13.1 points in the playoffs. Even worse, he did it on abysmal shooting and played so poorly that Mavericks fans were asking for a trade right then and there.
Porzingis did say that he wants a turnaround season and spent the summer working out vigorously. In actuality, this season, he actually dipped in most categories. They are not major dips, granted, but it is far from a redemption season. The Mavericks really need a second star next to Luka Doncic, so it would be best for both sides to just call it a day and find a trade. There are various options around the league the Mavericks can look into. However, one just makes the most sense.
If the Mavericks really want to win, they need to be on the phone with the Washington Wizards. The Wizards opened the season in a great way, but have since dipped in play. Thus, the Mavs might look to at least enquire about the availability of Bradley Beal. Of course, this is not a straight-up trade, as Beal is worth more than Porzingis, but it can be done. Bradley Beal can be an elite second star next to Doncic, while Porzingis would be able to lead a franchise as the star player in Washington.
Of course, he is not the only option. While a pipe dream somewhat, the Mavericks might inquire about Damian Lillard in Portland, but a more realistic option would probably be to seek multiple pieces from a franchise. Then, an option would be the Kings, who would be able to provide someone like De'Aaron Fox to pair up with Doncic, or a package of pieces that include Buddy Hield. He is not a co-star per se, but if the overall offer is good, the Mavericks would be able to enhance their rotation in a major way.
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Speed it up and get more efficient offensively
While they improved defensively, the Mavericks took a major step back offensively. This is a real shame, as they have a squad beaming with offensive talent. According to Basketball Reference, the Mavericks have the 12th best defensive rating, which is an improvement over the 20th held last season. However, it is their offensive rating that is worrying, as they fell from 9th to an abysmal 22nd this season.
This problem stems from their players being less efficient this season. Currently, the Mavericks' big offseason move, the resigning of Tim Hardaway Jr, did not turn out too well. The former Knicks forward is shooting under 40% and averages fewer points on more shots than last season. Porzingis also took a step back in all offensive metrics, as was noted above. Even Doncic is less efficient both in field-goal percentage and three-point shooting, with more shots than last season on average and marginally fewer points.
Additionally, they are playing a very slow brand of basketball. In the pace metric, they are rated just 26th in the league, which is not surprising. Under Rick Carlisle last season, the Mavericks were 24th in pace, and only one team coached by Jason Kidd was in the upper half of the league in pace. However, all of their best players are under the age of 30, and their biggest stars in Doncic and Porzingis are 22 and 26, respectively. They might be able to play better if they speed it up and play more in transition, which would give them both, and other good shooters on the roster, more open looks to raise the efficiency of the offense.
The problems of the Mavericks need to be resolved as soon as possible. While Doncic did sign a massive extension in the summer, he still needs to be kept happy in Dallas. There is precedent for massive stars asking for trades, and if Luka Doncic asks for a trade, every team in the league will be ready with an offer. If the Mavericks do not make the playoffs this year, that will be a huge problem they need to take care of.
