Dallas Mavericks
Mid-season grade: B-
Through the first half of this season, we've seen a little bit of the best and worst of the Dallas Mavericks. At different points this year, we've seen some very valid reasons for concern. Most of them revolved around whether they have a strong enough supporting cast around Luka Doncic while others revolved around whether Klay Thompson was the right move during the offseason. However, once this team hit their stride about a month into the season, we did begin to see how good the Mavs could be at their ceiling.
On the other hand, this team has also begun to struggle of late, mostly due to injuries. It is certainly something to keep a close eye on as we head into the second half of the year. If the Mavs are going to pick up where they left off last postseason and potentially make another deep run in the playoffs, they're going to need to be as close to 100 percent healthy as can when April rolls around. All in all, despite everything, the Mavs have been faced with so far this season, it's difficult to be all that disappointed in their efforts.
Denver Nuggets
Mid-season grade: B-
Through the first month of the season, it was natural to be concerned about the direction of the Denver Nuggets. However, over the last few weeks, this is a team that has begun to play better of late and has emerged as a much more consistent team now that they are healthy again. The big question for the Nuggets heading into the NBA Trade Deadline is whether or not they believe this roster is good enough to make another potential championship run in the Western Conference. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what the answer to that question is.
Depending on how the Nuggets operate over these next few weeks, we're going to get a strong indication of where this front office believes this team is. It hasn't been a disastrous start to the year for the Nuggets, but at the same time, this team has also left a bit to be desired. I'm not sure what awaits this team during the second half of the season, but there's no question that their future is very much at stake. If the Nuggets are subjected to an early playoff exit this season, you have to imagine that big changes could be on the horizon for the team.