The Dallas Mavericks finished the 2012-13 campaign with a 41-41 record which earned them a fourth place finish in the South West Division and ultimately an early start to their offseason. This marks the first time in 12 seasons that the Mavericks failed to qualify for postseason play and that can’t be sitting very well with owner Mark Cuban.
The pieces are still in place for a potential run at another championship but the roster does need some significant upgrades. The biggest and most glaring need for the Mavericks is on the defensive side of the ball. They ranked 27th in the league in team defense and were a league worst when it came to rebounding.
If Cuban and the Mavericks can convince Dwight Howard to come to Dallas then they can make their draft priority a guard. If Howard is still undecided come draft day and the Mavericks don’t feel confident in being able to sign a player like J.J. Hickson then they will need to draft an athletic big-man who can defend and rebound.
Areas of Weakness:
Defense, defense and defense. The Mavericks were horrid on their own end of the court and they are in need of immediate and significant upgrades to shore this up. Secondly their point guard play out of Darren Collison was less than what they anticipated. An upgrade to the point position would be a welcomed change and certainly one they must be considering since Collison is under contract for only one more season.
Draft Projection:
If the Mavericks need to go with a big here they would do well to select Steven Adams from University of Pittsburgh. Adams measured a solid 7’0” in shoes with a standing reach of 9’1.5”. Add in Adams bulk of 255 pounds, his 7’4.5” wingspan and 6.65% body fat and this guys could step in right away and bang with some of the NBA’s biggest bodies out there. Other teams are high on Adams stock and he could potentially be off the board by the time the thirteenth pick rolls around. It is highly possible that the Oklahoma City Thunder are targeting Adams with their twelve pick.
Playing devils advocate here and assuming that the Mavericks either have a commitment from Howard or another free-agent capable of playing the Tyson Chandler-esque role on the team, then they will go shopping for a point guard on draft day.
The Mavericks could certainly benefit in drafting a guy like Michael Carter-Williams out of Syracuse. Carter-Williams blossomed last season for Syracuse as he was the backcourt leader for the Orange. He possess solid court vision and seemingly takes great satisfaction in making his teammates look good. Of concern is that he assist to turnover ratio was nearly 2-1 which is too high for the professional ranks. Nonetheless he has good size as he measured 6’5” with a 6’7” wingspan. He also has good ups as he posted a 31’ standing vertical with a 41’ max vertical.