The Mavericks spent the offseason trying to patch over last year’s biggest problem, but the solution may still not be strong enough.
Dallas went hunting for shooting help after a 26-win season, bringing in Tarik Biberovic and Sergio De Larrea through a trade and the draft in the hope that their overseas production would carry over. The front office also added Marcus Sasser and Santi Aldama, two proven NBA shooters who were supposed to help give the offense a cleaner look around Cooper Flagg.
That push for more firepower made sense on paper. Dallas needed more catch-and-shoot threats, more volume from deep, and more players who could punish defenses when the ball swung their way.
But the preseason didn’t exactly calm those concerns. If anything, it reinforced how much work still needs to be done.
De Larrea was the bright spot among the newcomers. He opened preseason by knocking down all three of his 3-point tries in his first game and finished the exhibition slate at 66.6 percent from deep. The 6-foot-6 guard quickly put himself in the conversation for minutes and, as the source material notes, showed Dusty May that he deserves to be in the rotation.
The rest of the group was less convincing. Biberovic, who came in with a reputation as a knockdown shooter, hit a rough patch and went 1-for-9 from 3 against the New Orleans Pelicans last week. The cold stretch wiped out much of the buzz around his shot-making, at least for now.
Then there’s the health issue, which hangs over Sasser and Aldama before the regular season even gets rolling. Sasser played a career-low 38 games last season because of a hip injury, while Aldama is recovering from knee surgery. Their ability to stay on the floor is going to shape whether Dallas actually gets the boost it’s banking on.
And even with those additions, the numbers from preseason still point to a team that hasn’t solved the problem. The Mavericks shot 32.4 percent from 3-point range, which ranked 26th in the NBA, despite launching the fifth-most threes per game.
They were getting the looks. They just weren’t cashing them in.
That’s the part that should concern Dallas most. The roster has more shooters than it did before, but the preseason results suggest the margin for error is still thin. As things stand, the Mavericks don’t look equipped to keep pace with Western Conference powerhouses like the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder unless the long-range efficiency takes a real jump.
The first chance to answer some of those questions comes Wednesday, when Dallas opens against the Houston Rockets. The starting five is still unsettled, though Flagg and Kyrie Irving are expected to be in the lineup.
The shooting guard spot is up in the air, while Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington appear likely to start in the frontcourt.
Washington shot 32.5 percent from three last season, and Gafford has never made a 3-pointer in a regular-season game.
That leaves May trying to piece together enough spacing around Flagg and Irving to make the offense work. It’s a familiar problem for Dallas, and one the preseason didn’t prove is fixed.
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For Dallas, the appeal is in the possibility, not the certainty. Clayton is still in the early part of his pro career, but the Mavericks clearly see a chance to develop a guard who can handle some point-guard duties and give the team another option when Irving needs help or rest. To clear the way, the front office made a corresponding roster move, underscoring how small margins can be when a team is trying to shore up its bench. [Read more 🡒]