The Dallas Mavericks have made a multitude of changes so far this offseason with much of the roster being reformed.
With a roster full of tall, versatile players, it makes slotting players into defined positions very difficult.
I have slotted players based on their offensive roles and responsibilities rather than what they would traditionally play based on size.
Following a traditional position list is very difficult with this team, as most players are between 6’7 and 6’9, with all having versatility
on both ends.
PG:
Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall, Sergio De Larrea
The point-guard position is easily the most interesting story on this entire team, and in my projection it looks very unique. All three players listed are 6’7 or taller, with Flagg and Marshall being point-forwards rather than traditional guards.
So why are Marshall and Flagg listed here?
Because of their respective roles in the Mavericks offense. Both players will take on a large responsibility of ball-handling, and will be asked to create a large amount of shots for both themselves and others.
I have maintained the opinion that Flagg’s future is to be a LeBron-esque jumbo ball-handler, and with the current roster build, it becomes even more obvious.
Sergio De Larrea will be an interesting player this season, as his passing is wholly unique throughout the entire roster, but his struggles to create on-ball will limit his impact as a rookie.
SG:
Kyrie Irving, Max Christie, Marcus Sasser
With Flagg and Marshall playing as de-facto point-guards, Irving slides into the shooting-guard spot.
This role fits what Irving will do next season, as expecting the 34 year-old to do a lion share of the creation will not end well. It also fits what his role has been as a Dallas Maverick, where his off-ball value has been immense.
Christie projects as a starting wing even though he is technically 2nd in this depth chart.
Sasser may be built like a traditional point-guard, but his skillset skews towards scoring and shooting, meaning his value is found more as an off-ball player.
SF:
Zaccharie Risacher, Klay Thompson, Tarik Biberovich
The other wing position is possibly the most in-flux spot on the team, as Risacher and Biberovich are newcomers, and veteran Thompson is unlikely to be on the roster come October.
Risacher could be the main casualty of the Mavericks redundancy at forward, as he will have to outplay a multitude of veterans to find minutes. But if the Mavericks view Risacher as an important future piece he will have to play, even if it leads to unhappiness for other, better, players.
Biberovich was an underrated part of the Santi Aldama trade, and while his minutes could be sparse to start the season, he will provide valuable shooting, and could become very important if trades happen.
PF:
P.J. Washington, Morez Johnson Jr., Santi Aldama, Caleb Martin
When you talk about the Mavericks, the first concern most people have is the absurd number of power-forwards they employ.
And this offseason has only led to more of a redundancy, as the Mavericks made aggressive moves to trade for Aldama, and draft Johnson Jr.
The rotation of these players will be fascinating, with Aldama being the only one who is a consistent three-point shooter. Finding minutes for Johnson Jr. is paramount for his development; although, he could find more minutes at the center position.
And that’s not to mention Washington, who has been a starting level player on a championship runner-up, and will more than likely start.
It is undoubtedly a log-jam, with the only real solution being a seemingly unlikely trade of Washington.
C:
Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Morez Johnson Jr.*, Moussa Cisse
Finally we have reached the big-men, where the logical starting point is Lively II.
Lively has been an unbelievably impactful player when he plays, with every advanced metric suggesting that he borders on a top-10 center.
But he doesn’t play, with the former lottery pick appearing in less than half of possible games in his career.
Due to this, it makes sense to have plenty of insurance, with Gafford and Cisse providing similar skillsets.
But Gafford is unlikely to be on this team past the trade deadline, as multiple Mavericks front offices have dangled him in trade rumors. Yet he remains on the team due to his diminished value and overpriced contract.
I also chose to include Johnson Jr. as a center, seeing as how he exclusively played the position in summer league, and could project as a center long-term.
