After four months without NBA games, the league is gearing up to head to Florida to resume its suspended season.
The long layoff, combined with unpredictable circumstances and many players around the league who opted to sit out of the restart, could open the door for some teams to make a surprising run in the playoffs.
Former NBA player and current TNT anchor Kenny “The Jet” Smith thinks the Mavericks may be one of those teams.
“They have a great opportunity. I don’t look at this as a continuation [of the season]. When you’re off three or four months... Luka [Doncic], [Kristaps] Porzingis... they’ve had a chance to really digest how to play together,” Smith said during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. “This is like their next year. So whatever they were going to be at the start of next year, this is how they are going to look in this bubble. You’re going to see a different team, possibly, a different energy, and a different confidence in those two guys. So they have an opportunity to really shine through this time.”
The Mavericks’ 113-97 win over the Denver Nuggets on March 11 was the last NBA game played before the league suspended its season following the news of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert’s positive COVID-19 test.
With a 40-27 record, the Mavs are on pace to make a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. They currently sit in the seventh spot in the Western Conference with a seven-game lead over the No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies.
To make the playoffs, all the Mavs need is any combination of two Dallas wins or losses by current No. 8 seed Memphis.
SportsDay’s Brad Townsend writes that the Mavs’ eight-game regular-season schedule, which tips off against Houston on July 31, may offer them a favorable playoff path. The Mavs’ schedule features matchups with the Rockets, Suns (twice), Kings, Clippers, Bucks, Jazz and Trail Blazers.
The Mavs also have the benefit of returning their star duo of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, who appeared to be hitting their stride before the suspension. The duo currently averages a combined 47.9 points per game.
Some throughout the season have claimed the Mavs need to find a third option, or even a third star player to pair with Doncic and Porzingis. However, Smith says the Mavs should be set with their young star duo.
“You need more?” Smith said. “A destination for superstars? You got two right there. You got All-Star in Porzingis, who’s been an All-Star. And you got an All-Star in Luka... This is it. You don’t need anything else. This is what every franchise wants is two guys like that.”
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