Dallas Mavericks

Delon Wright. With all the attention on Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, Wright will have a massive opportunity to show out as a starter on opening night for the first time in his career. Wright was solid as a bench role player in Toronto and got to flex a little bit with more minutes after the trade deadline in Memphis. Now he’ll have a chance to prove himself as a legitimate starter by being the Mavericks best perimeter defender and a crucial secondary ballhandler so Doncic doesn’t have to do everything on every possession.

Kristaps Porzingis isn’t right. It’s been well over a year since Porzingis last took the court and while he’s getting rave reviews after his intense rehab, he still has an incredibly worrisome injury history for a 7’3 guy. Porzingis will be load managed but if another injury crops up and keeps him out of additional games, the Mavericks will be a lottery team again. Dallas had a humble summer, bringing back their own and signing low-key free agents. Porzingis has to produce.

That the Mavericks will be one of the most exciting teams in the NBA. Even if they aren’t a playoff team, Dallas has a potent young All-Star duo that could lead the team for years to come. It also helps that they’re both incredibly exciting players. Dallas will be a league pass darling, fueled by eye-popping highlights from Doncic and Porzingis.

The Vegas line has changed in the last few weeks but the over/under line now sits at 40.5. That’s a spooky number for a team that hasn’t won more than 33 games in the past three seasons, even with the heightened expectations. While I think Dallas will be a fun team and a better team, I’m going with the under. But not by much! I feel like the Mavericks will settle in with 40 wins, which might be a disappointment for some fans but would still be a very successful season when you consider the gauntlet the Western Conference is. The Mavericks likely won’t be a playoff team but they’ll definitely put the league on notice that they are on the rise.