Dallas Mavericks: 2018-19 NBA season preview
By Luke Swiatek
2018-19 roster
Key additions: Luka Doncic (draft), Jalen Brunson (draft), Ray Spalding (draft), Kostas Antetokounmpo (draft), DeAndre Jordan (free agency), Devin Harris (free agency), Ryan Broekhoff (free agency)
Key subtractions: Doug McDermott (free agency), Nerlens Noel (draft), Seth Curry (free agency), Yogi Ferrell (free agency)
Yogi Ferrell, Doug McDermott and Nerlens Noel are all gone in free agency, but the latter two aren’t huge blows. Neither McDermott nor Noel played more than 30 games for the team, and Noel made more headlines for eating hot dogs than he did with his play on the court.
Yogi Ferrell, on the other hand, played the second-most minutes of anyone on the team, behind only Harrison Barnes. He wasn’t the best defender, but his scoring ability at either guard spot was helpful for the team.
However, replacing Ferrell with Devin Harris in free agency is probably a win for the Dallas Mavericks. Instead of a young spark plug, they get an experienced floor general who is more of a distributor (5.9 assists per 36 minutes to Ferrell’s 3.9).
Harris will fit better around the more important members of the Maverick’s core, and he and Jose Barea should be a good veteran presence for the younger Mavs players, including Dennis Smith Jr. and rookie point guard Jalen Brunson.
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Discussing the roster in this way is a bit misleading though because it undersells the two main improvements: DeAndre Jordan and Luka Doncic.
Jordan has been a player the Dallas Mavericks have targeted for some time, and he should fit perfectly. He’s perhaps the best roll man in the league, and Smith and Doncic can set him up for thunderous dunks all day.
Doncic also is obviously a huge talent to add, which is why the Mavericks added him. They traded a future first and No. 5 to move up to No. 3 and select him, and he is going to be looking to justify that confidence with his playmaking ability.
The starting lineup also fits very well together. Jordan knows his role as the garbage man, Smith and Doncic can share playmaking duties, Barnes can be an iso-option and floor spacer, and Wesley Matthews should be a low usage 3-and-D player. The talent level and fit are much improved over last year, and the Mavericks should reap the results on the court.