Ranking All 15 Players on the Mavericks 2023 Roster, Worst to Best
7. Dwight Powell
Speaking of Dwight Powell, the way some Mavs fans talk about him you think he'd need to be in last place on this list. But people let their frustrations around his playing time and lack of other options in the middle cloud their judgement on his actual game.
Even as a starter he’s never put up especially strong numbers, which makes it a little too easy to diminish the strengths he does have.
He’s got the energy and athleticism to bring a defensive versatility that not all seven-footers can offer you, and the threat he poses as a finisher in the pick-and-roll gels very well with Luka’s game.
Last season Powell shot 78.2% on field goal attempts as the roll man, which ranked No. 10 among 50 qualifying players.
6. Maxi Kleber
Maxi Kleber is another guy whose impact isn't necessarily captured in the numbers, but he's also a guy whose value to the Mavs last year had a lot to do with filling weaknesses.
Luka and Kyrie both operate best off the dribble, and probably their best creation comes off the drive. When you don't have a shooter at power forward or center, defenses can completely sell out to defend those drives.
Well Kleber's not a lights-out shooter, but he's good enough from the corner that he can't be totally abandoned. So without full help off Kleber, a Luka-Powell pick and roll gets a ton of room to operate that it would't have had with a lesser shooter in the corner.
Grant Williams and Derek Jones can both shoot from the corner though, so suddenly Kleber is a little less unique in what he can bring to the table.
5. Josh Green
Josh Green could certainly end up higher on this list by the end of the season, but with the leaps he's made in each of his pro seasons he's already looking very promising for the Mavs.
Last year he played his biggest role yet, and that led to averages of 9.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and and 1.7 assists per game, shooting 53.7% from the field and 40.2% from 3-point range.
The Mavs’ net rating was also 3.7 points better with Green on the court than off the court last season, which was the first time in his career that he had a positive differential.
He's a young wing who can space the floor on offense and provide plenty of value on defense, which plays perfectly in the Mavs lineup.