Dallas Mavericks Training Camp: Things to Watch
The 2016-2017 NBA season is upon us as the Dallas Mavericks begin there route to an NBA championship next week.
The Dallas Mavericks will hold their first open practice September 28, as the team looks to improve from last seasons’ 42-40 record. With that being said, training camp is upon us as Dallas hopes to continue contending in the Ol’ Wild West.
This past off-season, the Dallas Mavericks made some major moves by signing youth and experience players, while also losing some well known names. Like any other season though, Dallas hoped what they’ve done so far lets them continue competing at a high level.
Here are some key things to look out for in training camp as the Mavericks take the floor together next week:
Team Chemistry
Dallas comes into the season with some new faces in the locker faces. Last season, the Mavs starting lineup included PG Deron Williams, SG Wesley Matthews, SF Chandler Parsons, PF Dirk Nowitzki and C Zaza Pachulia. Coming into this season, the team no longer has big men Parsons or Pachulia as both players left else where.
The team filled the void by agreeing to terms with former Warriors Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut. Both Barnes and Bogut are expected to fill in the void that Parsons and Pachulia left.
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With new players in the starting lineup, team chemistry will be something intriguing to watch.
Last season, the Mavs finished in the top five in team turnovers. Last season, Barnes averaged .9 turnovers a game.
The Warrior has done an excellent job in taking care of the ball and could provide huge assistance for Dallas.
Deron Williams hopes to formulate a bond with his new teammates as he can either look to dish to Barnes for the shot or go down low to Bogut for the dunk.
Dallas also hopes to clink with new bench players Seth Curry and Quincy Acy as they will be looked upon to score off the bench.
Youth Movement
The Dallas Mavericks are not well known for having young players. For example, in 2011 when the Mavericks won the championship, Dallas had eight players over 30. At the time, Jason Kidd was the team’s oldest players at 37. That seems to have all changed coming into this season.
Currently, Dallas has an average team age of 27.7. (basketball.realgm.com) New comers Seth Curry, Harrison Barnes and Quincy Acy all bring a new form of youth to the team. Curry is currently 26 years old, while his new teammate Barnes is 24 and Acy is 25. And who could forget current Mavs’ players such as Justin Anderson who is 22, Dwight Powell who is 25 and Wesley Matthews who is 29. Rookie Aj Hammons also bring in youth as he is currently 24.
Dallas expects Barnes and Matthews to be the corner stone for the team within the following years. The youth of the current roster is something the Mavericks are proud to bring abroad and believe this could be the start of something new.
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One Word: Dirk!!!!
Dirk Nowitzki is entering his 19th season as a Mav and while his numbers may not show it, he does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The past two seasons the Big German did not average over 20 points a game. Last season, Dirk averaged 18.3 points per game. While his numbers seemed to have dropped, his productivity has not.
It is believe Dallas’s All-Star will continue playing into next season as the 2011 champion hopes to end his career at 20 seasons. While his career may be coming to an end soon, Dirk still has so much to accomplish. The Big German is currently 1928 points from topping Wilt Chamberlain for number five on the All Time Scoring List. If Dirk does play the next two seasons, he has a big chance at eclipsing Wilt.
During the 2015-2016 season, the Mavs leader scored 1372 points. This is easily enough for the 13 time All-Star to move up in the rankings.
Dirk also has a chance at getting another All Star bid to his resume, and who knows maybe the Big Mav could also be in contention for another title as well.