The Mavs roster, and Luka Doncic's impact

[Akeem34TheDream]

Troll nonsense removed. Just focus on the good Mavs discussion below.

[DMAVS41]

No, buts its much closer than ppl let on.He does hold back his teammates tho

Yea, having the best offense in the league is really holding them back.

[RidonKs]

There's a problem with on-off stats, whether talking minutes or games. Making teammates better isn't restricted to being on the court with them and setting them up. There is the chemistry of the equation which comes from well checked egos from your stars, well one of them anyway and hopefully that'll rub off on the other. Greasing the wheels with friendliness and being a work ethic role model.

But then there's the fact that just having an MVP stud on the team boosts everyone else's energy and confidence, makes them believe that every next ounce of effort is worth it. "We could actually win" is on a sliding scale and these guys are tipping over the edge with optimism right now. And all the more for the Lebron/Luka passing ability that has Tim Hardaway saying he's never been more excited about any second getting the ball in his hands for a new scoring opportunity. So they're all playing above their head a bit, and they're running on the fumes of realizing how good Luka really is, and that's probably why they put together that win. Maybe they trail off the more Luca sits. Porzingis isn't near polished enough offensively to run an offense through.

But I do think the Mavs roster has been underrated since the offseason. Their guard rotation is a master class of reliable players who do it all and don't make mistakes. Brunson, Wright, and Curry could all start on a handful of teams. Barrea is this generation's... type of player you forget about because he never changes teams but enters a game and reminds you why he's a little icon in Dallas. Comes in to nail a three and do a Nash-style paint marathon before finding a cutter for a layup.

I'm looking at salaries now and understanding just how smart management has been. They are paying a combined $40 million for Wright, Curry, Finney Smith, Curry, Kleber, Powell, over the next 3-4 seasons. Throw in Boban and you have six players who will be at least average to round out an 8 man rotation behind Luka and Porzingis. I'm convinced Kleber will be a career starter because he's so well-rounded, a solid shooter, and a good energy guy. You could argue Powell's overpaid but not by much.

Can't forget Carlisle either. This team is going to be very good for a very long time.

[DMAVS41]

There's a problem with on-off stats, whether talking minutes or games. Making teammates better isn't restricted to being on the court with them and setting them up. There is the chemistry of the equation which comes from well checked egos from your stars, well one of them anyway and hopefully that'll rub off on the other. Greasing the wheels with friendliness and being a work ethic role model.

But then there's the fact that just having an MVP stud on the team boosts everyone else's energy and confidence, makes them believe that every next ounce of effort is worth it. "We could actually win" is on a sliding scale and these guys are tipping over the edge with optimism right now. And all the more for the Lebron/Luka passing ability that has Tim Hardaway saying he's never been more excited about any second getting the ball in his hands for a new scoring opportunity. So they're all playing above their head a bit, and they're running on the fumes of realizing how good Luka really is, and that's probably why they put together that win. Maybe they trail off the more Luca sits. Porzingis isn't near polished enough offensively to run an offense through.

But I do think the Mavs roster has been underrated since the offseason. Their guard rotation is a master class of reliable players who do it all and don't make mistakes. Brunson, Wright, and Curry could all start on a handful of teams. Barrea is this generation's... type of player you forget about because he never changes teams but enters a game and reminds you why he's a little icon in Dallas. Comes in to nail a three and do a Nash-style paint marathon before finding a cutter for a layup.

I'm looking at salaries now and understanding just how smart management has been. They are paying a combined $40 million for Wright, Curry, Finney Smith, Curry, Kleber, Powell, over the next 3-4 seasons. Throw in Boban and you have six players who will be at least average to round out an 8 man rotation behind Luka and Porzingis. I'm convinced Kleber will be a career starter because he's so well-rounded, a solid shooter, and a good energy guy. You could argue Powell's overpaid but not by much.

Can't forget Carlisle either. This team is going to be very good for a very long time.

I agree with a lot of this, but I think how a team performs when the star is off the court is 90 plus percent about what those players are capable of as a unit....not how a star "energizes them"...etc.

And having watched the Mavericks struggle for nearly 20 years without Dirk on the court...this is absolutely fantastic to watch...but I think trying to credit Luka much for it is a flawed analysis.

[RidonKs]

I agree with a lot of this, but I think how a team performs when the star is off the court is 90 plus percent about what those players are capable of as a unit....not how a star "energizes them"...etc.

And having watched the Mavericks struggle for nearly 20 years without Dirk on the court...this is absolutely fantastic to watch...but I think trying to credit Luka much for it is a flawed analysis.
I guess you could hone in on the short term "fumes" part and we might get closer to agreement. The general excitement of being at the start of something potentially great will wear away as the excitement slowly turns into stressful expectation. Those fumes are entirely running on Luca. This all in an overreaction to one game...

But I'm more taking a shot at the narrative of analyzing how team's perform when their best player, especially an outright MVP caliber star, isn't there. Would not be the same as judging the same starless roster on their own in a different universe. Extent of that dissimilarity up to you tho.

[DMAVS41]

I guess you could hone in on the short term "fumes" part and we might get closer to agreement. The general excitement of being at the start of something potentially great will wear away as the excitement slowly turns into stressful expectation. Those fumes are entirely running on Luca. This all in an overreaction to one game...

But I'm more taking a shot at the narrative of analyzing how team's perform when their best player, especially an outright MVP caliber star, isn't there. Would not be the same as judging the same starless roster on their own in a different universe. Extent of that dissimilarity up to you tho.

Yes, the team last night, for example, is going to push harder to try and win that game based on the success of the team and what they are ultimately playing for...which is real playoff seeding and potential.

I completely agree with that.

I'm just saying...I watched my Mavs have that guy in Dirk for nearly 20 years...and the teams without him on the court generally fell apart to some extent or another...and they had a ton to play for...10 straight seasons over 50 wins...multiple contending teams...etc.

Even the championshp team...made a ton of sense with Dirk on the floor...made almost no sense with him off the floor...even with everything you reference above. Kidd/Chandler/Marion all playing for real stakes...etc. Good players too...but just not a capable team without a star there to do all the things those players required to make it work.

With the current Mavs. They have that. In part because a guy like KP is different level of player than anyone on the 11 Mavs outside of Dirk, but also just in part because it fits really well on both ends.

At the end of the day...excitement and effort play a role, but how good the team is outside of the star really drives this stuff. When Dirk missed his 9 games in 2011...I don't think the Mavs went 2-7 because they didn't care enough or weren't inspired enough to have something real to play for. I think they went 2-7 because they played better teams and weren't able to compete at that level.

We'll see how the Mavs do without Luka overall, but my guess is that they'll do much better because all year they have been great when he's not on the court. Not a knock on Luka...they've been great when he's on the court as well...