EVERYTHING You Need to Know About the 24-25 Mavericks

This is Luka Doncic’s best chance to win MVP and prove he is the best player in the NBA. This is the deepest team he’s had around him and by all accounts he’s healthy going into his 7th season.

For Kyrie Irving, is this season about redemption after the NBA Finals in Boston? How can his leadership continue to grow and shape this team like how he recruited...

...Klay Thompson. How does he fit in the Starting Lineup with Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving? We haven’t seen Luka & Klay on the court together yet. Can Klay add that 1 extra shooter and scorer that opens up everything and makes the Mavs a Top 5 Offense?

In the offseason Dereck Lively II wanted to add to his game so he started to work on his post moves and his three-point shot. We saw some of the post-game in the Preseason but we also saw the Mavs use him as a hub in the offense with handoffs. He stayed after practice with Klay to work on them during Preseason. Let’s see what he adds to the Mavs’ offense this season.

Daniel Gafford said he gained 20 pound over the offseason to continue to dominate in the paint. Jason Kidd has coyly not declared a starting center yet so watch for Gafford to keep making an impact.

Between Luka, Kyrie, Klay, and the Rolling Centers, PJ Washington is going to get a bunch of open shots this season. He worked on his shot this summer with the Mavs and his first shot attempt in the Preseason was a post-up on James Harden when the Clippers tried to hide him on PJ.

The Mavs added Naji Marshall to replace Derrick Jones Jr. but his defense may be even better than DJJ’s. He’s known as The Knife and he can do a lot of things. Marshall wants to defend so well that other players on the Mavs will be considered better because they’re just around him.

Jason Kidd featured Quentin Grimes in Preseason a lot. His defense and quick shot make him crucial to the Mavs rotation. Watch how many games he closes.

The Mavs brought back Spencer Dinwiddie as a “spot starter” and another ball handler that they desperately needed but Dinwiddie didn’t look good in Preseason so his impact is still TBD because...

After signing his extension Jaden Hardy said, “I’m coming for more” at Mavs practice the next day. Can he prove he deserves more time than Dinwiddie?

Before Dante Exum’s injury that required surgery and will force him to be out until January, Jason Kidd said that he was the 2nd String Point Guard... but now we have to wait until he returns to see how he fits in.

Mavs Vet Maxi Kleber missed all of preseason but he is currently practicing and is still crucial to Dallas for the different types of lineups he allows them to play.

End of the Bench Guys

O-Max Prosper Is a big wing the Mavs need but he needs to prove more before he earns some time in their rotation.
Dwight Powell — How many times does he get hit in the face?
Markieff Morris — Led a crucial Player’s Only Meeting last season that led to the Mavs run at the end of the season.
Jaz Gortman — He EARNED a 2-Way Spot in Preseason. Kidd said Gortman was terrible in Summer League and praised the work he put in to get to this point. Watch out for him.
Brandon Williams — Williams played in 17 games for Dallas last year, but he’ll mostly be a G-League player with the Texas Legends.
Kessler Edwards — Missed all of Preseason with an injury but he’s 24 years old, 6'8" tall with a 6'11" wingspan and has played in 138 NBA Games with 27 starts. Watch out for him getting spot minutes if the Mavs deal with injuries.

Other Topics in Today’s Locked On Mavericks Podcast:

- The impact of Klay Thompson’s addition to the Mavericks

- Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively’s roles in the team’s strategy

- Kyrie Irving’s leadership and its influence on team dynamics

- The Mavericks’ quest for redemption and proving their NBA Finals run was no fluke