Are the Mavericks serious contenders for the NBA title?
The Mavs will play their first season after the Luka Doncic era and will have on the floor what is expected to be their future star: Cooper Flagg.
The Dallas Mavericks They will play their first post-era season Luka Doncic and they will have on the court what is expected to be their future star: Cooper Flagg.
What level will Dallas be this season? Will it be enough for them to be an NBA contender? The experts of AM850 They answer several questions from the Mavericks.
1- The Mavericks are serious contenders for the title in 2025-26…
Reality: There is a new Big 3 in Dallas with the selection of Cooper Flagg, the first pick in the most recent draft and one of the highest-rated prospects in the last decade of the NBA. Flagg joins Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, two players who, in addition to being enormous scorers, complement perfectly with Flagg, who at Duke made almost 40% of his three-point shots, and defensively, averaged more than one block and one steal per game. Irving, a great veteran who still has some of the best ball movement in the entire league, and Davis, an elite defender in the paint, will have to stay healthy unlike last year, but if so, Dallas has everything to contend for the playoffs this year. —Eric Gomez
Fiction: The new NBA trident – Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg – is no guarantee to consider them as contenders for the title, or even to qualify for the playoffs. AM850 predicts the Mavs will finish the season with a record of 44 wins and 38 losses, in eighth place in the West. That would put them just in the play-in zone. The reason: there is no guarantee that Irving will play in the season, Davis is a great player but he suffers with injuries every year and it would be illusory to think that Flagg, as a rookie, will take Dallas to the next level. —Luis Salazar
2- A number of Mavericks heading into the season…
116.0. The Dallas Mavericks’ defensive rating was 21st out of 30 teams last season. Before looking for the causes, keep in mind that Luka Doncic only played in 22 games with the Mavs and that Anthony Davis was barely able to help in nine since the famous trade in the middle of the season.
The Mavs must improve a lot with Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford healthy, with the energy that rookie Cooper Flagg can bring, in addition to the progress of Dereck Lively II and the return at some point of Kyrie Irving. Beyond the offense that this group promises, an improvement on the defensive side is essential to make them candidates for at least a playoff berth and a deep run in the postseason. Flagg showed at Duke his intensity on both sides of the court and although already the best defensive version of Klay Thompson, at 35 years old he may still be able to help if he stays healthy. —Hiram Martinez
3- The best/worst version of the Mavericks…
The best version: The best version of the Mavs for the season that is about to begin would be one similar to the one they had that took them to the NBA Finals a couple of years ago. Although they no longer have Luka Doncic, the team has an interesting and competitive roster led by the ‘big four’ of Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson and rookie sensation Cooper Flagg. If these four elements remain healthy for most of the campaign, the Mavs can be one of the contenders in the West, as they are a team well coached by Jason Kidd, who on Tuesday signed a contract extension with the Texas franchise.
The worst version: There can be two scenarios. One is injuries, a recurring theme in Kyrie and AD. If these pair of stars are not at 100%, the Mavs lose a lot on both sides of the floor. The other, one in which the bench does not support the first unit. In a long season it is important that the level between the starters and the second unit is similar. On paper or by name, some of Dallas’ substitutes are a couple of steps below the possible starting five, although this can only be seen as the games go by. —Roland of the Forest
