Dallas Mavericks: Biggest strengths and weaknesses for 2017-18 season
Weakness No. 3: Finding a solid guard rotation
The Dallas Mavericks were a great defensive team in 2016-17 but on offense, they ranked 30th in points per game (97.9). The Mavericks were the only team in the NBA to average below 100 points per game.
The NBA Draft gave them point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and they will need that to translate into more offensive firepower. The Mavericks ranked 27th in assists per game (20.8) as a team last season. That should change with Smith running the show. He averaged 6.2 assists per game last year to lead the ACC as a freshman.
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He should also help ease the lack of offensive efficiency as well. The Dallas Mavericks shot 44.0 percent from the floor (29th in the NBA) but 35.5 percent from 3-point range (16th in the NBA). They won’t have to rely entirely on 3-point shooting in 2017-18, although the volume of 3-point shooting has gone up across the league.
The good thing right now for Dallas is they currently have four point guards listed on the roster. There’s Devin Harris, who could possibly play both guard spots, and then there’s J.J. Barea, Yogi Ferrell and Dennis Smith Jr.
Let’s not forget about Wesley Matthews and Seth Curry, either. The two are sharpshooters who will make you pay if you leave them open.
The downside to all of this is at some point, somebody is going to either have to be traded or play out of position.