The Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic a season ago were able to knock off the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs. They then ended up losing to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, but it was still an impressive season for Dallas nonetheless. They decided to bring Jason Kidd into the building to be their next head coach and he had his guys ready to go all year.
Luka Doncic was a major reason why this team found the type of success that they did in the playoffs, but either way, the future in Dallas is bright.
Alex Caruso Picks the Dallas Mavericks as Sleepers in the West
Recently on JJ Reddick’s podcast, Alex Caruso said the Mavericks are his sleeper team in the Western Conference next season:
“For me, I think even losing Jalen [Brunson], it’s Dallas. I don’t think they count as a sleeper pick, but I know how J-Kidd operates, I know how Duds operates, I know Greg St. Jean …. I know how those guys operate, mentally,”
“The star power that Luka has, he’s only going to get better. Even this year, I thought they had a chance to get there. Obviously, they reached the Western Conference Finals. They might not be a sleeper pick, but I don’t think beginning of the season anyone is going to be saying Dallas will be back there.”
Bulls G Alex Caruso was asked on the @OldManAndThree Podcast who his Western Conference NBA Finals sleeper team was for this upcoming season:
“For me I think even losing Jalen [Brunson] I think it’s Dallas [Mavericks]. #MFFL
(🎥: @OldManAndThree) pic.twitter.com/492pGsCdu4
— Kevin Gray Jr. (@KevinGraySports) July 18, 2022
Can the Mavericks Contend in the Western Conference?
There’s certainly some truth to what Alex Caruso is saying here.
The Dallas Mavericks were one of the more interesting teams in the league a year ago and that was because of what Luka Doncic was able to do and what they also did on the defensive side of the ball. People seemingly forgot that Dallas was one of the best defensive teams in basketball a season ago. If they can replicate what they did this year, next year, they will find themselves with a chance to win the NBA Championship.
Heading into the 2022-23 season, Luka Doncic enters as the odds-on favorite to win the NBA MVP Award.
According to the top online sportsbooks, Doncic has a 19% chance of winning the award. Last season, Doncic averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game. He also stepped up during the NBA Playoffs, increasing his scoring average to 31.7 points per contest.
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