Dallas Mavericks: Takeaways from Opening Night

The Dallas Mavericks kicked off their 2013-14 season on Oct. 30 against the visiting Atlanta Hawks. The Mavericks were aggressive in upgrading their roster during the offseason. The long wait was finally over and fans were eager to see the new-look roster on the court for the first time in a regular season game. While it may only be the first game, there were indications of what we may expect from Dallas this season.

Talent on offense

On paper the Mavericks came into 2013-14 with a potent offensive team. Point guard Jose Calderon and shooting guards Monta Ellis and Vince Carter are accomplished offensive players. Dirk Nowitzki played great during the preseason and he is coming into the season completely healthy for the first time in two years

Despite the fact that three of the five Dallas starters were playing their first regular season game together, the offense put on an impressive display. Dallas scored 118 points and shot .571 percent from the floor en route to a 118-109 opening night victory.

The signing of shooting guard Monta Ellis has given the Mavericks another dangerous weapon on the court. (Photo Credit/

/Insidedfwsports.com)

Monta Ellis’ debut

Shooting guard Monta Ellis put on a show against the visiting Hawks. Ellis finished with 32 points and seven assists in an impressive all-around performance. Ellis played both shooting guard and point guard for the Mavericks. Dallas will eventually use veteran Devin Harris in a backup role behind Jose Calderon, but Ellis displayed the court savvy necessary to facilitate the offense when needed.

Defense is a concern

Defense was the first thing head coach Rick Carlisle discussed during the Mavericks 2013 media day. He displayed quiet confidence in the Mavericks options on offense but spoke at length about the possible issues on the defensive end.

Jose Calderon and Monta Ellis are highly effective offensive players but they lack the ability to consistently keep the player they are guarding in front of them. Hawks point guard Jeff Teague finished the game with 24 points and 9 assists. Teague is a solid all-around point guard but he is not someone known from breaking opponents down off the dribble.

With guards like Stephen Curry, Ty Lawson, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul in the Western Conference, the lack of perimeter defense is a concern. This puts pressure on center Samuel Dalembert as he has to come off of his man to protect the basket. This could leave his man open and put him foul trouble when Dallas faces the top teams in the Western Conference.

DeJuan Blair looks like a bargain

The Mavericks signed DeJuan Blair to a one-year contract for the $1.4 million veteran’s minimum on Aug. 7. The injury to forward Brandan Wright put a strain on the Mavericks already-thin frontcourt. Blair added a physical presence to Mavericks roster, playing power forward and center in the Mavericks season debut. Blair may be undersized at 6’7” but he used his body well against the visiting Hawks. Blair was a big reason Dallas outrebounded the Hawks by a 42-33 margin.

Looking ahead

The Mavericks next two opponents are the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies. Rockets center Dwight Howard and Grizzlies center Marc Gasol will put the Mavericks frontcourt to an early season test. While the Mavericks will have to work hard to contain the Grizzlies and Rockets up front, Dallas clearly has the ability to put consistent pressure on opposing teams with their versatile offense. Splitting the next two games would be a positive for a Mavericks team looking to keep pace in the competitive Western Conference.

[slider_pro id=”7″]