The Dallas Mavericks were forever changed on the night of the 2018 NBA Draft, when the team selected Luka Doncic with the third overall pick. No one knew exactly how dominant Doncic would be in the NBA, and he quickly proved himself to be the best player in that draft.
After winning Rookie of the Year, Doncic has now been named to the All-NBA First Team five straight times and just helped the Mavs reach the 2024 NBA Finals. Dallas fell short to the Boston Celtics, but it’s still remarkable that Doncic has led his team this far considering where they were at the trade deadline.
Nico Harrison has done a great job putting the right pieces around Doncic to compete in a loaded Western Conference. Yet a former NBA All-Star believes Dallas is making a key mistake in building the roster around Doncic.
On the OGs show, Gilbert Arenas explained how in order to win with Doncic, the Mavs must put a bigger team around himArenas explained that given Doncic’s 6-foot-10, the Mavs need to put taller players around him to create tougher matchups with the opposing defense.
Arenas specifically talked about Kyrie Irving, who is 6’2″ at guard, being too small, and Klay Thompson, who is 6’6″ at power forward, being too small. He didn’t name PJ Washington, but he also alluded to him being too small for power forward.
Arenas seems to think the Mavs should have taken a different approach to building around Doncic, and while everyone is entitled to their own opinion, there’s no arguing with the win.
Dallas is coming off one of the best seasons in franchise history, and the biggest reason for that is the improved roster construction around Doncic.
While Arenas is right that the Mavs could use more bigger players, it’s not fair to say they can’t win with the roster they currently have. Dallas reached the NBA Finals last season with a similar team, and they improved in the offseason.
While Dallas building a bigger team around Doncic could create more defensive imbalances for him, he’s going to get his shots regardless. No one in the NBA can stop Doncic consistently, and with the way the Mavs are playing, he’s going to do it. involve everyone on the ground and this, regardless of defensive confrontations.
Irving and Doncic have proven they are one of the best duos in the NBA, and the addition of Klay Thompson will make things easier for those two. They now have a solid third option who can knock down open shots, and the Mavs are motivated to involve him in different ways.
Thompson will likely be a key part of Dallas’ offense, and the Mavs are poised to be one of the West’s heavyweights again thanks to Doncic’s dominance and the potential of the new and improved team.
