Dallas Mavericks: Did the team win this offseason?

The Dallas Mavericks seem to be mostly done this offseason, as the hype of free agency has seemed to have trickled down. However, there is still plenty of time to add new fresh talent. Fans are optimistic that Marc Cuban and company can sign or trade for players such as Goran Dragic and Lauri Markkanen.

For now, NBA fanatics and MFFL are wondering:

Have the Dallas Mavericks done enough to improve upon last season?

First things first, supporters everywhere can rejoice as Luka Doncic is locked in for five more years. What a relief, because well no one wants to talk about the “if” part.

Joining Doncic on the new contract board includes sharp shooter Tim Hardaway Jr. and the John Wick actor himself Boban Marjanovic.

The signing of Hardaway Jr. was much needed. The sappy veteran gives the squad a consistent shooter, they couldn’t afford to lose. Just look at his averages the final five games of the season. For points per game he scored 18.6 points per game and shot 51.9 percent. It doesn’t stop there as he hit 44.5 percent of his threes and went perfect from the free throw. He is definitely the extra spark the team couldn’t go without.

As for Majanovic, he is a reliable backup center who can contribute every now and then. Plus his presence is needed if the team wants to keep Doncic happy.

Besides the two currents Mavs, Nico Harrison did not hold back on the beginning of free agency as he traded away Josh Richardson for Moses Brown and picked up Reggie Bullock and Streling Brown along the way.

If you take a step back and examine the Richardson trade, it was much needed as the Mavs were ready to move in a different direction. In return, Moses Brown was picked up in the process. The young center took one of the biggest jumps this past season. During the 2019-2020 campaign, he he played around three minutes per game and manage to post a mere 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds.

Fast forward to the 2020-2021 NBA year and he showed positive flashes. He up his points to 8.6 a game and tagged that with 8.9 rebounds. I mean who can forget his final game of the season. Against the Los Angeles Clipper he put in 24 points, 18 rebounds and seven blocks. All this in just 38 minutes. The last time he played over 30 minutes, he balled out with 18 rebounds.

Imagine, a center who can dominant the paint when given time and someone who can torture the Clippers too.

the Mavs have three of the top 30 three point shooters from last season

This wasn’t the only positive addition this offseason as Harrison signed a needed wingman in Reggie Bullock. He made his presence well known last season, as he become a key defender who can hit the long ball.

For the Knicks, Bullock ranked in the top 30 of three pointers converted. Number 10 on the three point list includes Doncic and eight on the file includes Hardaway Jr. So you are saying the Mavs have three of the top 30 three point shooters from last season? Yes, that is correct.

Adding the former Knick hopefully is seen as an upgrade from Richardson.

Brown also gives Jason Kidd an extra wing defender to work with. The fresh guard/forward showed glimpses of toughness last season, as he played a ton of physical basketball.

When ranked in terms of defensive ratings, Brown fell one spot short of players in the top ten. Make no mistake about it, NBA players have a difficult time scoring against Brown.

One area he improved upon was his shots from beyond the arc. During his final season with Milwaukee he hit 32.4 percent of his three. Look back to this past season and he hit 42.3 of his three.

When you break it down, the team got better defensively and found key shooters who could hit from long-range.

If you ask me this a win in my book. Just look at the additions: a young dominant center and two wing defenders who can shoot from three.

Now if only we can get either Dragic or Markkanen or even both would be great.

Getting one or both of those players will improve the team’s offseason grade from a B – to an A.

Without a doubt, fans should be a tad bit excited.