6th: Dallas Mavericks (↑1)
The European duo of 21-year-old Luka Doncic and 7-foot-3 big man Kristaps Porzingis have completely reshaped the Dallas Mavericks into a contending team.
And in 2020, they might just be a sleeper pick to knock off some top teams in the West.
Currently sitting back of the lead in the seventh spot in the conference, the Mavericks are going to need something extra from their supporting cast to help carry the load.
Making matter worse, Mavs forward Dwight Powell has opted out of the NBA restart as he rehabs his Achilles tendon injury. The loss thins out the Dallas frontcourt, leaving his 26 minutes per game to be filled in other places on the depth chart.
Fellow big Willie Cauley Stein has also chosen to opt-out of the rest of the season in favor of his family’s safety, as he and his partner are expecting a child in the upcoming months.
Veteran guard Courtney Lee will also miss out on the restart in order to rehab and recover from calf surgery earlier in the year. Despite being injured, both Lee and Powell have both rejoined the team to help out the Mavs in Orlando.
To pick up the slack, look towards Delon Wright to carry heavy minutes in the rotation. In the frontcourt, the gentle giant Boban Marjanovic should see more of the floor, creating defensive nightmares when he and Porzingis defend the inside.
The Mavericks filled in the gaps in the roster with new signing Trey Burke, joining the team at the beginning of July and should see time with the bench unit in the first eight seeding games.
In order for Dallas to overcome their injury trouble and finish this season strong, both Doncic and Porzingis need to play at their best. In Porzingis can finally shake the remaining cobwebs from his 2018 knee injury, the Latvian could be the difference-maker in Orlando.
One note from scrimmage play: Seth Curry is off to a hot start shooting the 3-pointer in scrimmage play thus far. The guard put up 23 points while going 6 for 6 from deep in a loss against the Lakers.