The Dallas Mavericks Futures Odds (BetDSI Sportsbook)
Dallas Mavericks to win the Southwest Division: +3300
Dallas Mavericks to win the Western Conference: +12500
Dallas Mavericks to win the NBA Championship: +25000
Dallas Mavericks Season Total Win Prediction: Total 34.5 (Over -115, Under -115)
The Dallas Mavericks ended the previous season with 33 wins, and they were eight victories away from the playoffs. After a horrific start of the season, the Mavs started playing well in 2017 and finished in the 13th place, ahead of the Kings, Timberwolves, Lakers, and the Suns. Dallas played relatively well at home, where they recorded 21 wins and 20 defeats, while the away form was a bit problematic as they won in only 12 matches.
The big money arrivals of Harrison Bares and Wesley Matthews brought practically nothing to the Big D, so far, as the team struggled for consistency. It is fair to say, though, that Barnes had the best season of his career, but once again, Dirk Nowitzki’s presence proved to be crucial for Dallas, and the team had plenty of problems when he was sidelined with an injury. Since his return to the court, the Mavs started playing much better and even looked close to reaching the playoffs at one moment, but in the end, they won only two out of the last ten games and missed out on the postseason.
The Mavericks are practically unchanged prior to the 2017/2018 season, but they did bring the rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr., who is dubbed as an exciting prospect, while they also kept Nowitzki, Nerlens Noel, and Yogi Ferrell. The competition in the West is quite fierce, especially in the Southwest Division, and it won’t be easy for the Mavs to return to top eight teams in the West.
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The 2017/2018 Dallas Mavericks Roster
Arrivals: Brandon Ashley, Gian Clavell, PJ Dozier, Maxi Cleber, Johnathan Motley, Dennis Smith Jr., Maalik Wayns.
Departures: Nicolas Brussino.
At the No. 9 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks selected the North Carolina State point guard Dennis Smith Jr. The 19-year-old played only one season with the Wolfpack and averaged 18.1 ppg, 6.2 apg, 4.6 rpg, and 1.9 spg in 32 matches. Smith impressed during his stay at NC State as he became the first ACC player to post two triple-doubles against league opponents in an entire collegiate career. He was named the ACC Rookie of the Year, was picked for the Second-team All-ACC, and made it into the ACC All-Freshman team. All these honors were an excellent recommendation for the Mavericks to take him as the 9th pick overall, and Dennis signed a rookie contract on July 5. Although he missed the 2017 NBA Summer League in Orlando, Smith returned in time to represent Dallas or the event in Las Vegas. In six games during the Summer League, Smith averaged 17.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.2 apg, and 2.2 spg in 25.9 mpg. These numbers earned him All-Summer League first team honors, while Smith managed to draw comparisons to such famous point guards like Derrick Rose, Steve Francis, and Penny Hardaway. Dennis will go straight ahead of Devin Harris, J.J. Barea, and Yogi Ferrell in the depth chart and will serve as starting point guard at the start of the season.
Roster depth at each position
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| Dennis Smith Jr. | Wesley Matthews | Harrison Barnes | Dirk Nowitzki | Nerlens Noel |
| Devin Harris | Seth Curry | Dorian Finney-Smith | Josh McRoberts | Salah Mejri |
| J.J. Barea | Dwight Powell | |||
| Yogi Ferrell | Maximilian Kleber |
The Mavs managed to keep the core of the last year’s team, and the only player who left the Big D is Nicolas Brussino. Dallas waived him on July 20, and only two days later, the Atlanta Hawks claimed him off the waivers. The Argentinian appeared in 54 games for the Mavs last year, averaging mere 2.8 ppg and 1.8 rpg in 9.6 minutes. Meanwhile, Brussino did play in the NBA G League for the Texas Legends and recorded 16.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 4.8 apg, and 1.2 spg in six matches. Nicolas didn’t have the best time in Dallas, and he will certainly not be missed as the Mavs already have better players at his position.
Unlike many of their competitors, Dallas hasn’t changed the roster much, and the players like Brandon Ashley, Gian Clavell, PJ Dozier, Maxi Cleber, and Johnathan Motley will likely spend the big chunk of the season in the D-League. The only arrival which had a previous NBA experience is Maalik Wayns, but I don’t think the Mavs will count on him, at least not seriously. He spent time with the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers between 2012 and 2014, but he doesn’t seem good enough to enter the rotation. The competition for the point guard place is very tight, and it would be surprising to see Wayns getting into the squad ahead of Ferrell, Barea, or Harris.
The Mavs did a great job to keep Dirk Nowitzki, Nerlens Noel, and Yogi Ferrell at American Airlines Center. Dirk signed a fresh, two-year deal, and will become the first player after Kobe Bryant who will spend his entire career (20+ seasons) with the same club. Last season, Nowitzki became the first international player and sixth in the NBA history to reach 30,000-point mark as he joined such legends as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), Kobe Bryant (33,643), Michael Jordan (32,292) and Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) in this exclusive club. His absence during the first third of the season last year hurt Dallas in so many ways, and they instantly became a much better team when he returned to the court. The German averaged 14.2 ppg and 6.5 rpg in 54 matches (all starts) and proved many that he still has a couple of years in his legs. If Nowitzki avoids injuries this year, there is no doubt that he will be one of the key players in the squad, and his presence will surely boost the morale of his teammates. Dirk is ahead of Josh McRoberts, Dwight Powell, and the rookie Maximilian Kleber in the depth chart and his projected 25 minutes per game could be crucial for the Mavs chances of reaching the playoffs.
Dallas exercised a team option to keep guard Yogi Ferrell after an impressive last year, when he even became a starting point guard, at some point. Ferrell ended the 2016/17 with 10.0 ppg, 3.7 apg, and 2.4 rpg in 46 games and deserved contract extension following successful rookie year. Although listed behind Harris and Barea in depth chart, Ferrell has a solid chance to serve as Smith Jr’s backup, considering Harris’ (34) and Barea’s (33) age.
The Mavs are the weakest at center positions and keeping Nerlens Noel is an excellent job as he still has the best years ahead of him. He had an injury-plagued season last year and managed to average 8.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.3 spg, and 1.0 bpg in 51 games. Noel is clearly the No. 1 choice at center, with Salah Mejri his only competition. Nowitzki could also be deployed at center if needed, but that is only the case when Noel is unable to play, so I expect to see him and Dirk together in the paint.
Despite having a solid season, Harrison Barnes needs to step up his game and become the leader of this team, while Wesley Matthews must improve after a mediocre campaign in 2016/17. If the pair manages to take their game to the higher level, the Mavs will have a good chance to get into the mix for the playoffs. Seth Curry was a pleasant surprise as he averaged 12.8 ppg, 2.7 apg, and 2.6 rpg in 70 matches last season and he can be a great sixth player for the club, so I expect big things from the 26-year-old.
The Bottom Line and Total Win Prediction
I don’t believe the Mavs can fight for the Southwest Division title with teams like San Antonio, Houston, and Memphis, who are all better teams, but with a good run of the result, I can see them entering the postseason as the 8th team in the West.
However, it is realistic to expect them to finish between 10th and 13th place, but the Mavs should surpass the number of wins from last year, and the bookies also believe in it as BetDSI Sportsbook set the margin at 34.5 wins. The winning recipe for the Mavs is better showing from Wesley Matthews and of course, avoiding injuries, so in that case, Dallas can come close to 40 victories this time around.
Season total wins: Over 34.5 wins (-115)
