NBA Power Rankings Week 2: The rise of the Atlanta Hawks

Last Week: Beat LA Clippers 124-73, Lost to Charlotte Hornets 118-99, Beat Miami Heat 93-83

This Week: 1/3/2021 at Chicago Bulls, 1/4/2021 at Houston Rockets, 1/7/2021 at Denver Nuggets, 1/9/2021 vs. Orlando Magic

What a confusing week for a team most fans consider to be really good. The Dallas Mavericks got their first win of the season in stunning fashion, pantsing the LA Clippers to the tune of a 51-point domination that did not even feel that close.

Dallas seemed to be getting things on track and were back to their stellar offensive ways. So of course they turned around and lost by 19 points to the Charlotte Hornets. They finished the week with a strong defensive effort against the Miami Heat.

Nothing about the season so far for Dallas is what was expected, save for perhaps the dominance of Luka Doncic. While his production is certainly down from last year, his scoring has carried this team. It took him until the fifth game of the season to get his first double-double but Dallas is still figuring itself out.

If nothing else, Doncic getting back to the mean in terms of 3-point shooting would go a long way for the Mavericks. He has never been strong in that area, boasting a career mark of 31.7 percent on 7.9 attempts per game. That looks like Steph Curry compared to his season average of 16.1 percent. At least Josh Richardson and Maxi Kleber have looked good.