There was a lot of attention on the Dallas Mavericks this NBA offseason. They made sweeping changes to their brain trust, as Donnie Nelson and Rick Carlisle are both moving on.
Replacing Nelson in the front office will be Nico Harrison. On the sidelines, Jason Kidd is replacing Carlisle as head coach. They will now be tasked with helping turn around a Mavericks franchise that hasn’t advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs since they won the NBA Championship in 2011 and has seen their defensive rating worsen six consecutive years.
They made a few changes to the roster to help those issues. Reggie Bullock, Sterling Brown, and Frank Ntilikina were brought on to aid the team in turning things around alongside Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Bullock and Brown both knocked down over 40 percent of their 3-pointers last season, while Ntilikina showed improvement as a shooter.
Ntilikina has shown he can be an elite defender and Bullock was considered the heart and soul of the New York Knicks’ defensive scheme last season. Brown has also been a solid defender during his four-year career.
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The one thing that Dallas failed to address that they wanted to was adding a secondary ball-handler. They wanted someone that could help take some pressure off of Luka Doncic from having to run the show by himself.
While they didn’t bring anyone in from outside the team, one NBA scout believes they already have the answer on the roster. While speaking to NBA Analysis Network’s Evan Massey, the scout revealed Jalen Brunson as the team’s X-Factor this season, not Kristaps Porzingis.
“The Mavs were searching for a secondary ball-handler this offseason but didn’t bring in anyone of note to fill that role. Despite not acquiring another guard, Jalen Brunson is going to do just fine. He has taken a big step forward and will be a massive impact player for Dallas this season.”
Brunson was the 33rd pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks and has played well his first three seasons in the league. He made some big strides last season, especially when it came to scoring the ball.
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Jalen Brunson averaged a career-high 12.6 points per game, shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from the 3-point line. He chipped in 3.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game as well and is poised to take another step forward this season.
The Villanova product will be entering free agency in 2022, so you know he will be motivated to showcase more improvements to land a more lucrative deal once he hits the market next summer.
