NBA: Ranking the teams in the Southwest Division for 2017-18

5. Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks are in somewhat of a rebuilding phase entering the 2017-18 season. They have long postponed this undesirable position and, as a result, find themselves as a mediocre team for the third consecutive season. They are neither good enough to make legitimate noise in the playoffs nor bad enough to secure a top-five pick.

First round draft pick Dennis Smith Jr. hopes to breathe new life into this team. He will join Nerlens Noel and Harrison Barnes as the franchise’s building blocks. They form an interesting trio that hasn’t yet proven they can handle big-time minutes.

Noel will be entering the season on a one-year prove it deal after the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement on a long-term extension.

Josh McRoberts will also be joining the team in the frontcourt. He’s never quite been able to get over the hump of just being a part-time player. However, he brings some much-needed spacing to Dallas if he can stay healthy.

All in all, the Mavericks simply don’t have enough firepower to hang with the rest of the division. The majority of the scoring will fall on Wesley Matthews and Barnes with a few other sprinkled in. That’s not nearly enough to compete with the Hardens and Leonards of the Southwest.