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Coming into the 2021-2022 NBA season, the expectations for the Dallas Mavericks are quite high. After showing signs of being a playoff-caliber team in a tough Western Conference, it seems as though Luka Doncic and the rest of his Mavs are prime to get finally over the hump and finally make some noise in the league.
Taking everything into consideration, the past two seasons have been okay for Dallas. Yes, they did suffer back-to-back first-round exits against the Los Angeles Clippers but, to be completely honest, no one really expected them to make it that far in both seasons. With the front office making huge moves this summer to shake things up and continuously build around Luka Doncic, is it finally the season where Dallas cements itself as a legitimate contender?
Here are three way-too-early bold predictions for the Mavs this season:
3. Kristaps Porzingis wins MIP
A lot of people (myself included) thought that the first priority for the Mavs this offseason was to get rid of Kristaps Porzingis. As much as I personally adore the seven-foot-three Latvian, he bombed in the playoffs and basically just stood there for all seven games against the Clippers which instantly put him on the trading block. Or so we thought.
But the Mavs have shown us that they have different plans for KP. Despite a ton of talk about his chemistry with Doncic, the front office chose to stick with Porzingis, and honestly, I'm pretty sure a lot of folks from the #MFFL squad feel a bit relieved. Look, Porzingis is just 26 years old. He did have an awful postseason but he's way too young to be counted out just like that. Keep in mind that this was actually his first full playoff series given that he was ruled out after Game 3 of the 2020 NBA Playoffs after aggravating his knee.
My bold prediction? KP's going to have a massive comeback season this year. Even though he had a pretty decent regular season, a lot of people have short memories and are choosing to let Porzingis' horrible playoff outing sum up his entire 2020-21 campaign. This paints the narrative that the unicorn is quite low on peoples' books right now which gives him the perfect opportunity to silence all the hate with a huge bounce-back which will put him in the conversation to win this coming season's Most Improved Player. Heck, he might even win it for crying out loud. There are a lot of things that new head coach Jason Kidd might potentially unlock this season and don't be surprised if one of them is KP.
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2. Luka Doncic wins MVP
I'm calling it now, Luka Doncic will win his first MVP trophy at the age of 23. Approaching just his fourth season in the league this year, it seems as though Doncic has already cemented himself as one of the best players in the NBA. After winning the ROTY award in his rookie year, Doncic propelled himself to two back-to-back MVP-worthy seasons finishing fourth and sixth (respectively) in the MVP race these past two seasons.
As great as he's been, it seems that the 22-year-old still has a few more gears left before he reaches his peak. That's pretty scary. The thought of a guy who's been averaging a near-triple double for most of his games in the league so far becoming even better is insane. And, if there's anyone who could do that, best believe that it's Luka Doncic.
Doncic is a generational talent and this might actually be the year where he cements that claim with a Maurice Podoloff Trophy at the end of his fourth season in the NBA.
1. Mavs go to the WCF
If the aforementioned predictions do come true, then there should be no reason why the Dallas Mavericks can't go all the way to the Western Conference Finals. An MVP-Luka alongside an effective (and hungry) KP? Now that's a recipe for success.
Jason Kidd making this happen isn't too far-fetched, either. Although the former Mavs champion guard hasn't had the best coaching career so far, being called upon by the franchise that drafted him back in 1994 might actually end up as one of the best moves of the Mavs this offseason. If everything pans out with Kidd calling the shots and making the pieces available to him work, then Dallas should breeze through the regular season as a top-four contender at the very least.
Last season, a lot of experts weighed in that if the Mavs had made the most of their 2-0 advantage against the Clippers in the first round that they would've easily advanced to the WCF. This just means that the pieces for a WCF-type team are indeed there. Re-signing players like Tim Hardaway, Jr. and even Boban Marjanovic was key as well as the addition of other shooters like Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown. If the Mavs can possibly add one or two more pieces into the mix and the team stays healthy all year round, don't be shocked if the Dallas Mavericks go all the way to the Western Conference Finals.
