NBA: Power Ranking Every Team’s Bench Unit Entering 2016-17

23. Dallas Mavericks

Starters – Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes, Dirk Nowitzki, Andrew Bogut 

Bench – J.J. Barea, Seth Curry, Justin Anderson, Quincy Acy, Dwight Powell

You’ve got to feel for Dirk. Mark Cuban has tried so hard to give him a team that can compete with the ever improving Western Conference, but ever since that beautiful title run back in 2011, they’ve been a consistent first or second round exit in the playoffs. This year’s team is better than last year’s, but not by much.

Deron Williams was consistent for the Mavs last season – being hurt that is and then coming back to put up a mediocre stat line.

Wesley Matthews played 78 games last season after suffering an Achilles tear, which is an incredible feat, and his play wasn’t too shabby either for not being the go-to option.

Harrison Barnes is one of the new additions to the starting unit, and is going to be looked to a lot to relieve the offensive burden on Dirk. He will. He can hit the corner 3, can post up players and play the 3 and 4, and defends very well. I think he just needed a change of scenery.

Dirk is one of the G.O.A.T., and is an ageless wonder. Him being on the bench would be a crime to all NBA fans.

Bogut has an incredibly high basketball IQ, is a phenomenal passer, and can rebound well. If the Mavs get 60 games or more out of him, it’s a successful season. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands often or long to make an impact.

The backup PG spot was hard to pick, but I went with the feisty fan favorite and consistent J.J. Barea.

Seth Curry (Steph Curry’s brother) will be the backup 2 with his combo-guard play and emergence playing with the Kings last season.

Justin Anderson is a playmaking forward who is slowly developing his jumpshot. He probably won’t crack the starting rotation for the foreseeable future, but he will be a bench mainstay for years to come.

Quincy Acy is an energy guy off the bench – blocks some shots, rebounds, and throws down a vicious dunk or two and returns to his seat on the sidelines. Not a big difference maker statistically, but momentum wise can be.

Dwight Powell is an interesting player as he has shown flashes of great potential as a stretch 5, but won’t start unless Bogut goes down to injury (which is possible). He does perform better with less pressure and offensive responsibility, which is on the bench.

This backup unit admittedly is ranked higher than I thought I would place them, but they’re not very exciting collectively and will probably lose the Mavs way too many games late, so this is where their ‘ascension’ ends.

Next: No. 22