The Mavericks will start season No. 45 on Thursday when San Antonio visits American Airlines Center.
Rarely in franchise history has there been more excitement or higher expectations.
That’s what happens when a trip to the NBA Finals is fresh in the rear-view mirror from last season and you are in the intersection of unpacking one of the best shooters in basketball history and adding it to the continued partnership of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, who form the best backcourt tandem in the league.
“Everybody feels great and is excited about this marathon,” coach Jason Kidd said Wednesday. “We’re in a good seat. We’re healthy, we’re deep and now we have to become a team.”
That part about health is particularly important. It wasn’t long ago – only a week – when the Mavericks weren’t sure what they had in terms of healthy bodies.
“To be 95 percent healthy to start the marathon is positive to where we were a couple weeks ago,” Kidd said. “It seemed like everybody was out.”
The Mavericks will start this journey with only Dante Exum out. He had right wrist surgery during training camp and is out indefinitely.
They will open against a San Antonio team that is flush with optimism, although not to the brim-full level that the Mavericks possess. The Spurs missed the playoffs last season, but with second-year center Victor Wembanyama, they feel like they have a player who could be on the short list among the NBA’s best players in coming years – if not sooner.
The Spurs also have added veteran leadership to help guide the 7-4 Wembanyama through the deep, dangerous waters of the NBA. Former Maverick Harrison Barnes and longtime point guard Chris Paul were acquired during the offseason, specifically to give coach Gregg Popovich more hands to help school the 20-year-old Wembanyama, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
“Victor’s one of the young, talented players in this league,” Kidd said. “We know what he can do defensively and offensively. And to add two veterans like Chris and Harrison, those two will be able to help him through the marathon, the ups and downs and help put him in a position to be successful.”
The Mavericks, meanwhile, have made it clear that anything less than a return to the NBA Finals this season will not be good enough.
But they know all too well that things happen in a long season that simply cannot be predicted. Injuries happen. Slumps happen. Sizzling grooves happen when a coach will want to ride a hot player a bit more than he normally would.
But in a perfect world, here’s a look at how the Mavericks’ rotation could look as the regular season gets rolling.
Starters: Guards Dončić and Irving, forwards Thompson and P.J. Washington, center Dereck Lively II.
This group (and yes, Daniel Gafford also could slip in as the starting center) rates as one of the most talented starting fives in the league. But coach Jason Kidd hopes he doesn’t have to ride them too hard.
Dončić averaged 37.5 minutes last season and Irving was at 35 minutes. Kidd would love to shave a minute or two off both of their workloads this season. Sounds good in theory, but when you’re trying to win as many regular-season games as possible to make sure your playoff road is as smooth as possible, it’s not easy to do.
Washington was third in the usage department last season as he averaged 32 minutes in the 29 games he played after the trade that brought him from Charlotte. He might be able to duplicate that, but the Mavericks have better depth this season and keeping him closer to 30 minutes per game would be optimal.
The X-factor is Thompson. At 34 and with two major leg injuries since 2020, it’s unlikely he surpasses the 29.7 minutes he averaged last season with Golden State. The goal is to have him (and everybody else) as healthy and fresh as possible when the playoffs roll around an eternity from now.
Lively and Gafford still figure to split time at center with Kidd leaning to whoever has the hot hand.
Key reserves: Gafford (or Lively), forwards Naji Marshall and Maxi Kleber, guards Quentin Grimes, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy.
All of them have either started or played major roles on teams in the past.
Every player knows that a normal NBA rotation doesn’t go deeper than 10 players, maybe nine.
So there will be some patience required by everybody.
“This is about sacrificing and being unselfish,” Kidd said.
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San Antonio Spurs (0-0) at Mavericks (0-0)
X: @ESefko
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