Last season, the Dallas Mavericks won 33 games, placing them at 11th in the Western Conference. They landed the ninth overall draft pick and used it to select hyper-athletic point guard Dennis Smith Jr. Outside of the addition of Smith Jr., the Mavs’ roster is quite similar to last season’s.
The Mavs have little to no chance of making the playoffs this season either, especially given how much tougher the West grew this offseason. The goals for this season should be to land a high pick in next summer’s draft and give Smith Jr. a chance to grow as a starting point guard in the NBA.
Here is the schedule for the Mavericks’ 2017-18 season, thanks to the Mavs site.
One game to watch is the first matchup against the New York Knicks. Some Knicks fans already regret the franchise’s decision to draft Frank Ntilikina over Smith Jr., and this game will give Smith a chance to show New Yorkers that their doubts are valid. Plus, Kristaps Porzingis and Dirk Nowitzki grinning at one another is always worth a watch.
Kristaps Porzingis working with Dirk Nowitzki ? pic.twitter.com/Nqiwcsn9P5
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) August 3, 2017
