Dallas mavericks roster outlook for the upcoming season

Dallas Mavericks regular season basketball is only about a week away so what better time to present the 2016-17 roster?

With a new season, comes new faces. The Dallas Mavericks may not have had the best off-season, but the team comes into the new NBA year ready to fight with the players listed. While it is a tad bit early for teams to present their 15 man roster, it is never too examine how the roster could breakdown.

Dallas Mavericks 2016-2017 Roster Breakdown:

Point Guard Play:

The Dallas Mavericks did not change anything new about their point guard position. It is no surprise here that Deron Williams returns as the starting point guard for the Mavs.

Last season, Williams averaged 14.1 points per game with 5.8 assist a game as well, making him the second leading scorer for team. The question that will continue to brought up is whether or not Williams can stay healthy this upcoming season.

Backing up Williams will be returning reserve players J.J. Barea and Devin Harris. The returning guards come back for another season as they will look to provide some assistance off the bench. Barea saw sometime in the starting rotation last year, as he played a primary role for the Mavs.

Like Williams, Harris missed some of last season with injuries too. When healthy though, Harris can do anything the team asks from him. He is a dual guard who plays both the point and shooting guard. If injuries start to plague Williams, look to Harris picking up the slack for Dallas.

Shooting Guard Position:

Returning shooting guard Wesley Matthews comes back for his sophomore season with Dallas. Last season, Matthews was returning from an Achilles injury in which he averaged 12.5 points per game. Coming into this season, the team will have a fully healthy shooting guard who will look to do some damage.

Unlike Matthews, the team will have some new faces coming off the bench for the number two spot. Newcomers Seth Curry and Jonathan Gibson are expected to help relieve some of Matthews’ minutes. Towards the end of the season last NBA year, Curry began having a huge impact for the Kings, as he started to get his groove on, averaging 15.4 points per game over the final five games.

The other guard, Gibson, has had a rocky path towards his NBA journey. After he finished his collegiate career, he bounced around overseas playing in countries like Turkey, Israel, Italy, and China. This preseason, Gibson has averaged 8.4 points a game. If his cards play he may finally get his NBA shot.

Small Forward Play:

With the departure of Chandler Parsons, the Mavs fixed the hole in the number three spot by adding NBA champion Harrison Barnes. The team picked up Barnes, hoping he can be the key contributor in the starting line-up. While the small forward has struggled shooting as of late, the team does not see any reason for concern.

Backing up Barnes will be sophomore Justin Anderson. Anderson saw some action in the starting position last year when Chandler Parsons when down.

The former rookie brings a mixture of an all-around guard who can make his own shot and play solid man-to-man defense.

The other back-up SF will be Dorian Finney-Smith. Finney-Smith went undrafted this past season but is expected to be added to the 15 man roster. While playing for the Florida Gators the past three seasons, he led the team in rebounding. Like Anderson, the undrafted rookie can play solid defense and create his own shots as well.

Power Forward

There is no explanation needed as the starting power forward position will be handed to Dirk Nowitzki as he returns for his 19th season.

Behind Dirk will be returning Dwight Powell and newcomer Quincy Acy. Powell enters his fourth season in the NBA. A vital part of the team last year, he looks to continue getting in solid minutes from the front court. The returning forward has his best season last season, as his rebounds per game drastically improved from two to four per game.

Like Powell, Acy too hopes to see some significant minutes. Acy too can bring some presence to the court as he is an excellent rebounder. Last season, Acy averaged 5.2 points game, along with 3.2 rebounds a game as he saw 14.8 minutes a game.

Center:

Andrew Bogut comes from a championship team as he hopes to bring some of that experience to Dallas. Not known for his scoring ability, Bogut is a big man who can play the glass well and make scoring opportunities for his teammates. Like Dirk said last week, Bogut played a huge part in Steph Curry always being open.

Right behind Bogut will be Salah Mejiri. The returning Mav is a physical player who can bring physical toughness day in and day out. Mejiri played a key part for Dallas last post-season as he was able to bring the mental toughness.

A.J. Hammons is the team’s newest rookie from Purdue who hopes to become part of the Mavs’ future. Two weeks ago, Hammons had his best performance in the preseason as he had six points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes of play. The newest rookie sensation looks to be a part of the Mavericks magic this season.

Next: Mavericks Barnes early concern?

While the rosters are not set yet, this is what the Dallas Mavericks roster could look like within the coming weeks.

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Dallas Mavericks 2016-2017 Roster Outlook

By Lorenzo Almanza | Oct 19, 2016