By james art The Mavericks will begin season No. 45 on Thursday when San Antonio visits the American Airlines Center.
Rarely in franchise history has there been more excitement or higher expectations.
This is what happens when a trip to the NBA Finals is fresh in the rearview mirror from last season and you’re at the crossroads of unpacking one of the best shooters in basketball history and adding him to the ongoing partnership of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who form the best tandem in the back of the league.
“Everybody is feeling great and excited about this marathon,” coach Jason Kidd said Wednesday. “We are in a good place. We’re healthy, we’re deep, and now we have to become a team.”
This part is particularly important for health. It wasn’t too long ago — just a week — that the Mavericks weren’t sure what they had in terms of healthy bodies.
“Being 95 percent healthy to start the marathon is positive from where we were a few weeks ago,” Kidd said. “It looked like everyone was out.”
The Mavericks will begin this road trip with just Dante Exum. He underwent surgery on his right wrist during training camp and is out indefinitely.
They will start against a San Antonio team that is brimming with optimism, though not to the full extent that the Mavericks possess. The Spurs missed the playoffs last season, but with sophomore center Victor Wembanyama, they feel like they have a player who could be on the short list of the NBA’s best players for years to come — if not sooner.
The Spurs also added veteran leadership to help guide 7-4 Wembanyama through the deep, dangerous waters of the NBA. Former Maverick Harrison Barnes and longtime point guard Chris Paul were acquired during the offseason specifically to give coach Gregg Popovich more hands to help the 20-year-old Wembanyama, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
“Victor is one of the young, talented players in this league,” Kidd said. “We know what he can do defensively and offensively. And to add two veterans like Chris and Harrison, those two will be able to help him through the marathon, the ups and downs, and put him in a position to be successful.”
Meanwhile, the Mavericks have made it clear that anything less than a return to the NBA Finals this season will not be enough.
But they know all too well that in a long season things happen that simply cannot be predicted. Injuries happen. Downfalls happen. Hot spots happen when a coach wants to ride a hot player a little more than usual.
But in a perfect world, here’s a look at what the Mavericks’ rotation could look like when the regular season begins.
Starters: Guards Doncic and Irving, forwards Thompson and PJ Washington, center Derek Lively II.
That group (and yes, Daniel Gafford could also step in as the starting center) rates as one of the most talented starting fives in the league. But trainer Jason Kidd hopes he won’t have to ride them too hard.
Doncic averaged 37.5 minutes last season and Irving averaged 35 minutes. Kidd would love to take a minute or two off the workload for both of them this season. It sounds good in theory, but when you’re trying to win as many regular season games as possible to make sure your path to the playoffs is as smooth as possible, it’s not easy to do.
Washington was third in the usage department last season as he averaged 32 minutes in the 29 games he played since the trade that brought him from Charlotte. He may be able to repeat that, but the Mavericks have better depth this season and keeping him closer to 30 minutes per game would be optimal.
The X-factor is Thompson. At 34 years old and with two major leg injuries since 2020, it’s unlikely he’ll surpass the 29.7 minutes he averaged last season with Golden State. The goal is to have him (and everyone else) as healthy and fresh as possible when the playoffs roll around in what seems like an eternity.
Lively and Gafford still figure to split time at center, with Kidd leaning toward the one with the hot hand.
Key backups: Gafford (or Lively), forwards Naji Marshall and Maxi Kleber, guards Quentin Grimes, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy.
All of them have either started or played important roles on teams in the past.
Every player knows that a normal NBA rotation doesn’t exceed 10 players, maybe nine.
So it will need some patience from everyone.
“It’s about self-sacrifice and selfishness,” Kidd said.
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San Antonio Spurs (0-0) vs. Mavericks (0-0)
- Details: 6:30 p.m., American Airlines Center, Dallas.
- Television: TNT.
- Radio: 97.1 FM KEGL, Zona MX 99.1 FM (Spanish).
X: @ESefko