The Struggles of the Dallas Mavericks

The expectations of the Dallas Mavericks are high this season following a stellar 2019-2020 season that saw Luka Doncic rose as a superstar in just his second season. 

24 games into the 2020-2021 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, the Mavericks are nowhere near the playoff picture of the stacked Western Conference as they are standing at 14th place with a 10-14 record. 

While Luka Doncic and company were able to score a 134-132 against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday (Manila time), Dallas has only won three of their last 10 games and just snapped a six-game slide. The numbers aren't looking good either.

The Mavs rank 23rd in scoring (109 points), 28th in rebounds (42), 28th in assists (22), and 21st in points allowed (112 points). They are also ranked 19th in field goal percentage (45%) and are the worst three-pointing team in the NBA at 33%. 

Luka Doncic is leading the Mavericks in four categories. Doncic is averaging 27 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, and a steal in 34 minutes per game. While he is shooting 45% from the field, he is also shooting 29% from the three-point line.  Kristaps Porzingis is another player who has been struggling all season long since returning from injuries. While he is averaging 19 points and eight rebounds in 12 games thus far, his touch from outside has been missing as he is shooting 32% from the three-point line. 

While there is still more basketball left to be played in the season, the Mavericks need to find more consistency and not just rely on the youth and sheer amount of talent of one Luka Doncic. 

As Doncic said after a big loss against the Utah Jazz, "We’ve got to do something. This is not looking good. We’ve got to step up, talk to each other and play way better than this,"

Photo is from Dallas Morning News