With the Dallas Mavericks season officially ending On Monday night, the Dallas Mavericks’ season came to a close as they were defeated by the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. Dallas’ spectacular postseason run ended after Game 5, but there’s plenty to be excited if you’re a Mavs fan.
They proved all of the doubters wrong, and they had an extremely tough path to even get to the NBA Finals.
It all started with a revenge series win against the LA Clippers, a tough series win over the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, and a dominant five-game series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals.
10 Reasons the Dallas Mavericks will be back in NBA Finals next year
Dallas proved that they are here to stay, and their run through the 2024 NBA Playoffs is evidence of that.
Nico Harrison has built an outstanding roster around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving that is built for the present, but also right now. Their balance of young talent and established players is what makes them built for this moment, and they will be making deep playoff runs for years to come.
Here are 10 reasons that the Dallas Mavericks will be back in the NBA Finals next year.
10. Mavericks have the perfect balance of youth and win-now players
As mentioned before, the Dallas Mavericks are built for the future, but they’re also built for right now. The Mavs’ core consists of young players, but they are also ready to contribute right now.
Four of Dallas’ five starters are 27 or younger, with the only outlier being Kyrie Irving. Luka Doncic, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford are all 25 years old while Derrick Jones Jr. is 27 years old. All four of these players were huge for the Mavs during the playoffs, and they have the potential to continue to develop and become even better.
Josh Green and Dereck Lively II were also crucial role players all season, and Lively II is only 20 years old while Green is 23 years old. The sky is the limit for both of these players, and Lively II has been one of the most important players on the team all season long.
His energy, defense, rebounding, and ability as a lob threat are spectacular for his age, and his basketball IQ is off the charts. Lively II is an excellent off-ball defender, and his ability to move his feet in space and switch on defense is also solid.
The Mavericks aren’t going away any time soon, and their mix of youth and win-now players guarantees that. Dallas also has a couple of secret weapons that still need some development such as Jaden Hardy and Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and Nico Harrison’s management of this team has been second to none.
Next
Dallas Mavericks’ No. 1 monster target in 2024 NBA Draft is clear
By Jared A’Latorre | Jun 20, 2024
Bronny James
Bronny James / David Becker/GettyImages
The Dallas Mavericks are now looking ahead to the 2024 NBA Draft.
While the Dallas Mavericks have the very last pick of the draft, the organization might be looking to spice things up.
Could Dallas be trying to pull off the potentially the greatest free agent signing in NBA history?
Mavericks look to get Bronny James in 2024 NBA Draft
There have been reports recently on LeBron James’s son, Bronny falling to the Mavericks in the NBA Draft.
The first report came last weekend with NBA insider Marc Stein. where he said the Mavs “would have interest” in drafting James.
NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony provided some more insight, mentioning Rich Paul’s name, the agent of James. Paul says that Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison has a personal connection with James.
Harrison has his connections, and that certainly lies true with him and the James family.
“If the Lakers don’t take (Bronny) at 55, Dallas would take him at 58 and give him a guaranteed deal,” Paul said.
James playing in the NBA after limited playing time in his freshman year at USC has been a controversy on sports talk shows. It’d be a bold move for any team to draft him.
The topic of Dallas drafting Bronny James. has been rumored since May, as an obvious attempt to lure in LeBron to play with his son.
The big three of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and LeBron could be something unlike the league has ever seen. LeBron has hinted at joining Irving as a teammate again, once praising Irving for being a naturally gifted basketball player. LeBron even called Doncic his “favorite player” years ago.
LeBron went as far as to compare himself to Doncic a few years ago. “The way he plays the game reminds me of the way I play the game,” LeBron said.
Doncic grew up being inspired by LeBron and the praise has been returned ever since these two stars have been in the NBA together.
“I was able to inspire a kid that wasn’t even in America.”
– LeBron James
There’s obvious love in the air between these three future Hall of Fame players. While LeBron only has so much time left in his career, there would be great chemistry in Dallas if they were able to pull off arguably the greatest free agency signing in team history through a sign and trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.
•
10 Reasons Luka Doncic was wrongfully robbed of the 2024 NBA MVP
•
11 Players who turned their back on the Dallas Mavericks
•
Top 10 Dallas Mavericks teams of all time
•
30 Greatest Dallas Mavericks players in franchise history
•
15 players the Dallas Mavericks signed past their prime
6 Dallas Mavericks who definitely won’t be back next season
By Noah Weber | Jun 18, 2024
Dallas Mavericks, Tim Hardaway Jr.
