Could the Dallas Mavericks have five of the top 100 players in the NBA this season? The fine people at ESPN think so. Every season, ESPN runs a top 100 players in the league list before the season. In the first edition of the list, featuring players 51-100, the Mavs landed three guys in this list.
You can find the full list here.
95. PJ Washington
PJ Washington checked in at number 95 on this list after being unranked in the final edition of this ranking last season. Washington, who signed a four-year, $90 million contract this offseason, might not
even be a starter on this team to start the year, depending on how coach Jason Kidd decides to handle he and Klay Thompson’s roles. Last year, PJ struggled to overcome several ankle injuries, and knowing what we now know about last year’s training staff, it’s not hard to connect the dots with how that affected him. With a clean offseason and a (hopefully) competent training staff in place, it’s fair to expect big things from Washington this year, regardless of whether or not he starts.
73. Dereck Lively II
Dereck Lively remains on the list at number 73, although he slipped from his 56th spot on the list last year. Last year was a decided sophomore slump for the Duke product, who played just 36 games due to an injury that, once again, last year’s training staff botched (sensing a theme here?). The big man had offseason surgery to clean that up, even though the general manager who will not be named said he would not need a procedure. Lively’s talent is undeniable, both with and without Luka Doncic, Lively has been able to produce. The question is whether he can stay on the court. In his two seasons in the NBA, Lively has only played in 55% of the team’s regular season games. For him to live up to this ranking, he’s got to be on the floor.
52. Cooper Flagg
Finally, the only rookie on this list checks in at a shockingly high 52nd place, and it would be none other than Cooper Flagg. The 18-year-old is going to be challenged right away, as it sure seems like the Mavericks are going to push to have the ball in Flagg’s hands early and often. The experiment is drawing comparisons to what Kidd did with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, trying to force the player into uncomfortable situations by having him on ball. The only difference is that those Milwaukee teams did not have expectations and therefore could afford to struggle amid those growing pains. This Mavericks team is in a self-proclaimed three-year championship window, and they already wasted year one of it. If there’s no success this year, it’s no guarantee that they’re all here to see the next one.
