Dallas Mavericks: 5 reasons to be optimistic

2. A more confident Jalen Brunson

In his second season, Jalen Brunson will be running point alongside Luka Doncic with much more confidence than last season.

With J.J. Barea getting older and Seth Curry coming off the bench, coach Rick Carlisle will be even more confident with Brunson taking up a good amount of minutes at guard.

Last season, Brunson only managed 9.3 points, 3.2 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. While these stats don’t scream “starter,” we can expect Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic to improve Brunson’s game to a respectable level.

Brunson could easily transition into the starting point guard come opening night. In the second half of the season, the former Villanova Wildcat took advantage of starting minutes and proved his worth to the Dallas Mavericks.

There were small whispers of Brunson being a part of a trade in the early days of free agency, however.

Dallas fans should rejoice that those appear to be nothing more than rumors. With the largest free agents in the market passing up on Dallas, Brunson needs to take advantage of the situation at hand.

If the Mavericks did acquire a top point guard in 2019, Brunson’s days in Dallas may have been numbered, and his days as a starter even fewer.

Nevertheless, Brunson will most likely be the top option at point guard for Carlisle.