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Dallas Mavericks: Bold Predictions For 2015-16

By Cole Mentzel

Mar 20, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; The Dallas Mavericks mascot waves the team flag before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies at the American Airlines Center. The Grizzlies defeated the Mavericks 112-101. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; The Dallas Mavericks mascot waves the team flag before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies at the American Airlines Center. The Grizzlies defeated the Mavericks 112-101. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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After a tumultuous offseason, the Dallas Mavericks enter 2015-16 with a very different looking team. Rajon Rondo, Monta Ellis and Tyson Chandler all went their separate ways while the Mavs were able to bring in Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia and Samuel Dalembert.

They enter the season with many uncertainties. Who starts at center? Who leads in scoring? Will they be able to defend effectively? Will injuries slow their season down? The questions are endless and the only way to get answers is to wait until the season starts.

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However, we can still try to project what could happen. Here are three bold predictions for the Mavs in 2015-16:

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1. The trio of JaVale McGee, Samuel Dalembert and Zaza Pachulia will prove to be better than DeAndre Jordan.

The Dallas Mavericks were involved in one of the biggest offseason headlines this summer when it appeared that they had successfully attracted DeAndre Jordan away from the Los Angeles Clippers, but we all know how it ended.

Within a matter of hours (and emojis) Jordan had decided to go back on his word and return to the Clippers, leaving everyone in the Mavs organization and around the NBA shocked.

The Mavs were able to rebound by forming a three-headed center monster in McGee, Dalembert and Pachulia. Though they aren’t the flashiest of names, these three players will combine to have a bigger impact than Jordan.

Yes, Jordan is one of the best centers in the league and yes, he is everything the Mavs wanted in a player but by adding his huge contract, the Mavs would have been shorthanded for a few years until the salary cap rises.

By combining a few smaller contracts, the Mavs will be able to, in a way, replace what Jordan could’ve done, and add a little. Obviously McGee and Dalembert are good at rebounding like Jordan, one of the best rebounders in the league. Pachulia is also good in that category.

They are all way better than Jordan in the free-throw percentage category and they are all decent finishers at the rim. Combining all of that together, though it may work some nights and not others, is a good way to take the cheaper route.

One thing that could be an addition is Pachulia’s ability to hit mid-range jumpers, which he can do at times. JaVale McGee will be back to his normal self with a better training staff in Dallas and the Mavs center rotation will thrive.

2. The Mavs will be in the top five in three-point percentage.

Last season, the Mavs were tied for 11th in team three-point percentage but that is going to change this year. The whole roster is stacked with shooters and players that specialize in hitting the three ball.

In 2014-15, the Mavs were plagued by Rajon Rondo and Monta Ellis (though he was solid at times) from beyond the arc and that was a burden. This season, their roster will include Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, Chandler Parsons, Dirk Nowitzki, Devin Harris, J.J. Barea, Charlie Villanueva and John Jenkins.

Not only are all of those players scorers, they all shoot very well from three-point land and they will be lethal for teams with bad perimeter defense.

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    • Every single position on the Mavs roster, except for center, is at least two players deep with shooters and that is going to be a huge factor for them this season. Their defense isn’t going to be good so their offense is going to have to be elite and it will be.

    3. Chandler Parsons will be the leading scorer for the team.

    Though Monta Ellis was the leading scorer for the Mavs last season, he only outscored Dirk Nowitzki by about a point. In 2015-16, Chandler Parsons will be the leading scorer by three to four points. Before he got injured, we saw Parsons get a bigger role in the offense and he didn’t disappoint.

    Mavs beat writer Earl K. Sneed recently wrote Nowitzki would be willing to sacrifice playing time if it meant that the Mavs would win more games. Though Parsons will be coming off of major surgery, he will be the longest-tenured Mav, besides Dirk. That means he will be the player with the most reliability on offense.

    Last season Parsons averaged 15.7 points per game but that is going to rise to somewhere between 19 and 20. He will be 27 years old soon, meaning he is about to enter the prime of his career, and this season, his scoring is going to show that.

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