After a quick trip to Cowtown, the Dallas Mavericks are returning to the confines of the American Airlines Center for a preseason tilt against the Charlotte Hornets. The Mavericks are coming off a win against the OKC Thunder
on Monday, while the Hornets were in OKC on Thursday night, losing by six. Preseason scores are next to meaningless, but it is going to be interesting to watch Dallas run their stuff against another group.With that in mind, here are a few things to watch before this preseason
contest.
Establishing the run
The Mavericks were able to score over 100 points against Oklahoma City in their first contest, albeit with very poor shooting and the benefit of 16 Thunder turnovers. Their usual rebounding advantage against OKC did carry over into the preseason, as the Mavericks were +15 on the glass. Against a Hornets team that is willing to run with you, what will the Mavericks look to do in this one offensively? I’m interested to see how Anthony Davis looks in some of the “flow” offensive actions that the Mavericks will get into. Can this team shoot the ball at a respectable clip, or will this offense be too dependent on transition buckets and pushing pace? Not like we’ll get concrete answers here, but it’s another data point.
Cooper Flagg corner
Generally, we know what we’re getting from a lot of guys on this roster. Cooper Flagg is the unknown here as the rookie sensation, and for that reason I will be watching him with more interest than anyone else here. What situations do they try and put him in, what does the creation look like for him, and what does the shot look like? These are all things I want to see time and time again this season. Plus, Saturday marks the first time he will square off against his former Duke teammate, Kon Kneuppel!
The LaMelo Ball conundrum
Depending on who you trust in the basketball sourcing industry, this season seems like a last stand of sorts for the LaMelo Ball experience in Charlotte. Can he tighten up certain aspects of his game to limit turnovers and increase his efficiency? Against a Mavericks defense that will have an abundance of size on the interior, how is he going to handle some of the smaller guards on the perimeter? Just as a basketball fan, these are things that will interest me over the course of the game.
How to watch
Tipoff time is set for 7:30p at the AAC. The game will be available on KFAA Channel 29, streaming on Mavs TV and on NBA League Pass for those out of market. I suppose if your favorite team loses the Red River Shootout on Saturday, this could boost you right back up?
