What’s next for Mavericks, Luka Doncic? Dallas reached the NBA Finals, but there are still flaws to fix

Both of the following statements about the Dallas Mavericks can be true:

They are, in a vacuum, an ascending team. Their core seven-man rotation in the playoffs featured only one player (Kyrie Irving) over the age of 27. Luka Doncic is still only 25. Dereck Lively II, who looks like a future All-Star at center, just finished his rookie season. There is untapped young talent still in the pipeline in Jaden Hardy and Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Their starting lineup, which went 27-6 before the Finals, was assembled at the trade deadline and should only improve with continuity. In all likelihood, this version of the Dallas Mavericks has not played its best basketball yet.Given the depth of of the brutal Western Conference, the abundance of injuries that tend to strike NBA teams during the playoffs and the seemingly random nature of which teams bear the brunt of them, the inherent randomness of a sport in which a small ball is thrown long distances through a small net and the fact that they were playing a Boston Celtics team with a hobbled Kristaps Porzingis, it is very possible that the Mavericks will never have a better chance at winning the NBA championship than they did this season.

These are the somewhat inherently contradictory ideas that govern modern championship pursuits. It seemed like a certainty that the Denver Nuggets would make it back to the NBA Finals this season after winning it all last June, didn’t it? We all saw how that played out. The Mavericks will probably be better next season. So will a handful of other Western Conference contenders. Maybe the injury bug that bit the Clippers and Pelicans this spring goes after the Mavericks next April. Every year is different. Every year is seemingly harder than the last. It twists the knife of defeat deeper into the bodies of those that come closest. The Mavericks could be better next year than they are now and lose in the second round because of a poorly timed ankle sprain or some bad shooting variance. You can’t depend on circumstances breaking your way every year. When these chances…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/whats-next-for-mavericks-luka-doncic-dallas-reached-the-nba-finals-but-there-are-still-flaws-to-fix/

Author : Sam Quinn

Publish date : 2024-06-18 11:56:16

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