Why Dallas Mavericks fans should be excited about Delon Wright

We should adjust our expectations for Delon Wright because while they are modest, they are impactful, making them extremely important to the Dallas Mavericks success

Amidst the disappointment of free agency, the Dallas Mavericks traded for restricted free agent, Delon Wright. Wright, 26, comes to Dallas with little fanfare ad even less fan expectations. But perhaps we should be more excited about this underrated addition after all.

Delon Wright wasn’t a name on many MFFL’s minds when free agency kicked off this summer, so it’s understandable fans were unprepared to celebrate his addition. “Prepared” is the operative word because preparedness is what’ is ultimately needed to assess his value.

Adjusted expectations

There are two things we must adjust expectations for:

1. Delon Wright being the consolation prize after missing on Kemba Walker.
2. Delon Wright being the third option on a 2-two star team.

First, we need to get over the disappointment that the Dallas Mavericks failed again to lure a top free agent. To those wanting Kemba Walker, selling you on Delon Wright instead is next to impossible. But Wright was always a target. He’s not supposed to be Plan B.

What we need to understand is Dallas stuck to their offseason plan and adjusted to the circumstances only when necessary. They didn’t make moves just for the sake of making moves. They always wanted to make a play for Wright and when they struck out on Walker, they stuck to the plan with Wright. They didn’t feel compelled to overpay for someone to replace the role they envisioned for Walker.

With that in mind, they have a different plan for Wright. What exactly remains to be seen, but it’s clear they don’t expect him to be a top-3 scoring option this season. They have no intention of forcing a square peg into a round hole and neither should we.

We need to adjust our expectations for Wright, because when we do we’ll realize they are perfectly realistic, totally needed, and something to get excited about.

Wright is probably going to be a starter next to Luka Doncic. Why? Because he’s a long guard with some defensive prowess. Since Luka is a liability on D, Wright will help cover our best player’s deficiency.

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The ball needs to be in Luka and Kristaps Porzingis’ hands as much as humanly possible. Adding another big scorer will just steal those opportunities (that’s why I was opposed to Kemba this summer). Delon will be complementary. He provides much needed defense at the guard spot without demanding the ball.

Wright is a player who can play with or without the ball in his hands. Again, a perfect complement to Luka and KP. Rick Carlisle can use him either way depending on matchups with Luka.

Looking up and down the roster, there really is no other player who can provide what Wright does without coming at a cost (position ill-fit, need for the ball, inability to run point, defensive ineptitude).

The expectations for Delon Wright are slight but they’re important. Wright needs to hit open shots. He needs to be able to catch and shoot from deep. He needs to be a strong defender against the NBA’s best guards, and he needs to play within himself.

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When  you think about the important role Delon Wright will play this season it’s hard not to get excited. Even with modest expectations, Delon Wright is a player who makes other players great. That’s a great quality to have.

• Published on 10/06/2019 at 12:30 PM
• Last updated at 09/30/2019 at 12:28 PM