Since the Dallas Mavericks glory days in 2011, the roster has been completely rebuilt but the winning spirit has continued to stay alive - until this year. With a promising young lineup comprising players such as Luka Doncic, Josh Richardson, Maxi Kleber, and Josh Green it is hard to understand where the source of the team's struggles has been.
The shortened season this year has left the team without a full stadium since March 11th, 2020. Additionally, the team has been without key players for weeks on end due to various Covid quarantines.
Still, the question remains why MVP frontrunner Luka “magic” Doncic has not been able to lead the team to a winning record. The team is currently 28th in assists per game, 28th in rebounds per game, and 21st in points per game. These statistics do not point to a championship-caliber team.
Many teams have struggled early in the season and found successes later on such as the 2019-2020 Phoenix Suns. With many players returning and a favorable schedule ahead there is still a lot of hope.
While players may be frustrated by the 11-14 start if they continue to follow in Luka’s path victory will surely come. As the famous Charles Rashid said, “If winning was easy Losers would do it!”
Being a Mavericks fan all my life it will be exciting to see the chemistry our team will continue to make. Coach Rick Carlisle and General Manager Donny Nelson, one of the strongest coaches and GM’s in the world, sought out many very talented European players and have great reason to be excited about the road ahead.
Zander Feinstein