7. Dallas Mavericks
At this point, I believe the Dallas Mavericks are being drastically overlooked. I think there’s a good chance that the Mavs end up being a top-10 team in the league. They might have the best duo in the NBA in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving and they managed to improve their supporting cast this offseason. After missing the playoffs outright last season, even after adding Kyrie at the NBA Trade Deadline, the Mavs will be playing with a chip on their shoulder this year.
I think it will end up paying dividends for a team that has the talent to compete with any other team in the league. If Kyrie and Luka can find their comfort and footing together, this is a team that is going to make life difficult for the other West contenders. If the Mavs can be good enough on the defensive end, a deep playoff run isn’t off the table.
The Mavs will factor to a certain extent this season. The question is whether they have enough to compete with the other elites in the West in a seven-game series. We shall find out soon.