The Dallas Mavericks still have Dirk Nowitzki, but what can be expected of the new additions? Here’s the Mavs’ 2016-17 season outlook.
Early in the 2016 NBA free agency period, it looked like the Dallas Mavericks were about to strike out once again. They had missed out on Hassan Whiteside, failed to woo Mike Conley and had even lost Chandler Parsons in the process.
Luckily, when the Golden State Warriors landed Kevin Durant, the Mavs were able to capitalize on a mass exodus from the Bay Area, signing Harrison Barnes as a free agent and trading for Andrew Bogut, effectively replacing Parsons and the departing Zaza Pachulia.
As the 38-year-old Dirk Nowitzki enters the waning years of his Hall of Fame career, however, the question still stands: Did the Mavericks do enough this summer to change their increasingly annual destiny of being a first round playoff exit?
There’s plenty of youth on this roster, Nowitzki’s offense continues to age gracefully and Rick Carlisle remains one of the most effective head coaches in the NBA. But as Dallas tries to give Dirk one more playoff run in 2016-17, their young pieces will also be trying to prove the post-Nowitzki future isn’t as gloomy as it appears on paper.
2015-16 Vitals
42-40, 3rd in Southwest Division, 6th in Western Conference
102.3 PPG (16th)/102.6 OPP PPG (14th)
106.7 Offensive Rating (11th)/107.0 Defensive Rating (17th)
Team Leaders
Scoring: Dirk Nowitzki, 18.3 PPG
Rebounding: Zaza Pachulia, 9.4 RPG
Assists: Deron Williams, 5.8 APG
Steals: Wesley Matthews, 1.0 SPG
Blocks: Salah Mejri, 1.1 BPG
Honors
N/A
Next: Roster