The Dallas Mavericks were one of the most talked-about teams in the NBA last season, and all of this chatter began long before the season even began. Heading into last season, the Mavericks shocked the world and reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011, and the Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duo stole the hearts of Mavericks fans.
Even though Dallas ultimately lost to the Boston Celtics in five games in the finals, they showed the league that they would be real contenders for years to come. After they lost in the finals, the Mavericks improved their roster significantly over the offseason, as they added Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes, and Naji Marshall, among others. All signs were pointing to them being contenders again last season, but then the unthinkable happened on February 1.
Dallas traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, shortening their title window significantly and putting all of the pressure on Nico Harrison's squad to succeed immediately. Harrison had just orchestrated the wildest move in NBA history, and all eyes were on his team to see how they responded.
Mavericks' Anthony Davis-led frontcourt is built for the playoffs
Due to constant injuries and questionable roster construction, Davis's first season in Dallas ended up as a failure. They missed the playoffs altogether after a play-in loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, but when observing the playoffs as a whole this season, they have exposed a glaring reality about today's NBA that Harrison may have been right about.
To start, Harrison will likely never be justified for trading Doncic, as the return package the Mavericks received from the Lakers was unacceptable, but it is clear that the best teams in the NBA all have dominant frontcourt duos.
Just take a look at the remaining teams in the NBA Playoffs.
Seven of the eight teams that are still alive in the playoffs have multiple excellent bigs down low, and the frontcourt depth of the best teams in the league is incredible.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, the Minnesota Timberwolves have Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, and Julius Randle, the Cleveland Cavaliers have Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and the Denver Nuggets have Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic.
This is only a few examples of why big man depth matters, and with Davis, Dereck Lively II, and Daniel Gafford next season, the Mavericks will be geared up to battle down low with some of these teams. They have the size to be an absolute force in the postseason, and when adding Irving into that mix, they should have the foundation to have a good bunch.
This doesn't mean that the Mavericks will undoubtedly become Western Conference favorites right away just because of their size alongside Irving, as Harrison also has to ace the draft to give his team the best shot at contending. He has made it clear that he wants to utilize the NBA Draft to add a win-now player who can help them immediately, and their moves in free agency also have to be excellent.
As of now, it seems like some of the Mavericks' biggest needs include guard depth, 3-point shooting, shot creation, and wing depth, and while their assets are fairly limited, they are going to have to make the most of the situation they're in. Harrison believes that Dallas will contend for a title next season, and regardless of how far they go, Davis is going to be a big part of it.
Harrison traded Doncic due to his admiration for Davis' two-way style of play, and this summer is going to be his first chance to build around him and sign players who complement him rather than Doncic. The team that will take the court for Dallas' first game of the season in October could end up looking very different than the squad that lost to the Grizzlies in the play-in just a few weeks ago, but one thing will likely stay the same.
That being Dallas' frontcourt led by Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II is going to be in a position to dominate.
