Dallas Mavericks: 3 must-watch storylines this season
By Duncan Smith
2. Will the clutch issues be resolved?
The Dallas Mavericks were the worst clutch team that made the playoffs last season, in spite of having a heliocentric star in Doncic. Generally speaking, if a team has a do-everything superstar, they don’t have the same kind of issues in the clutch as lesser teams that can’t just give it to the man and let him work.
They were 43-32 last season and ended up seventh in the Western Conference, but their expected win-loss (based on net rating, which is more indicative of team quality than actual record) was a more impressive 49-26. It was the sixth-best expected win-loss in the NBA, which is a far cry from their lowly playoff standing.
Clutch play often comes down to a couple of shots going down either way, and it’s not that far off from a mere coinflip. Sometimes there are major tactical concerns, and sometimes the shots just didn’t go down (or did, depending on which side of the floor).
For the Dallas Mavericks, it seems more like the latter with a team led by Doncic and head coach Rick Carlisle. These problems may right themselves next season which will be a huge boost to their record.