Dallas Mavericks season predictions

It’s finally here. BASKETBALL! The Dallas Mavericks begun their preseason schedule this week and we finally got a look at this new look club. With that being said, I think it’s time to hash out some season predictions for this team.

Record and seed: This is arguably one of the toughest things to predict about this team simply because of how tough the Western Conference is. If Dallas was in the East, they’d have a shot at 57 to 59 wins and a top three seed in the playoffs. Dallas would have even been a three-seed last year in the East, and a good three-seed at that. The Mavs will surely be better than the eighth seed in the West, barring any major injuries, but the question is whether they’ll be good enough to crack the top four in the West. The Spurs, Thunder and Clippers will likely be the top three teams, but four is wide open. Houston regressed, as we all know, but Portland, Golden State, Phoenix and even Memphis will all be in the playoff mix. Dallas will have to better than all those teams to crack the West’s top-four, and, once they gel, I think they will. Prediction: 55-27, fourth seed in the West playoffs. 

Leading scorer: Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs in scoring last season at 21.7 points-per-game and flirted with a 40/50/90 season, but Monta Ellis wasn’t far behind at 19.0 points-per-game. The Mavs have consistently maintained that they would like to eventually make Nowitzki their second best player and the second option on offense at times. During stretches last year, it was Ellis who carried the offense while Dirk rode shotgun, and the team even set up big plays for Ellis in the fourth quarter (remember the game winner at Portland?). The offense added a new dimension with the acquisition of Chandler Parsons, and not playing with James Harden and Dwight Howard should help his scoring go up a touch. We’ll have to see how Parsons blends with Ellis and Nowitzki, but there’s no reason it shouldn’t work out. Mark Cuban said that he envisions a Maverick team where no one is averaging over 20 points-per-game. I think Dirk will eventually end up leading the Mavs in scoring, but not by much. No matter who it is, this is going to be a top-ten offense easily. Prediction: Dirk Nowitzki, 20.2 points-per-game.

Leading bench scorer: For the first time in a few years, the Mavs are entering a season without an established sixth-man. Vince Carter had been that guy for the past two years and Jason Terry was that guy for years before that. But Carter elected to move on and go to Memphis, and Dallas will surely miss him. After all, he provided one of the most memorable moments in franchise history with his game winner against the Spurs in game three of the first round. So who takes on that role now? It won’t be Raymond Felton, who I think will be good but not THAT good. Brandan Wright and Al-Farouq Aminu aren’t really scorers, and Richard Jefferson will only be playing in spots. That leaves Devin Harris. Dallas loved what Harris did coming off the bench last season, and he even closed games at times over Jose Calderon. If he’s healthy, expect Harris’ averages to go up this season. He won’t be an explosive sixth man, but he’ll be able to get the job done. Prediction: Devin Harris, 10.1 points-per-game.

Other predictions:

Best defensive player: Tyson Chandler

Best newcomer: Chandler Parsons

Leading assist-man: Jameer Nelson

Biggest surprise: Al-Farouq Aminu

Biggest disappointment: Jae Crowder

And time for my final, and boldest prediction: this season is going to be a blast.