8. Dallas Mavericks
Another victim of the gauntlet in the West, the Dallas Mavericks may be better than some teams in the Eastern Conference but they will have a much tougher schedule. New rookie Luka Doncic is touted as the most NBA-ready prospect in the draft after playing with grown men in Europe for the past four seasons.
Dennis Smith Jr. has shown flashes of his potential, although he struggled mightily with defense and shot selection. Barnes is still in place after averaging 19 points per game over his two seasons in Texas, he remains a relatively inefficient volume scorer, though.
The addition of DeAndre Jordan should help improve the team field goal percentage if Doncic or Smith Jr. are able to break down defenses and open him up for lobs. The Mavs should be fun to watch this season, but they just don’t have the firepower to make a postseason run unless Dirk finds a time machine laying around.