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From being on the fringes of clinching automatic qualification for the NBA Playoffs to potentially qualifying as the fifth seed, the Dallas Mavericks have come a long way.
The Mavericks' chances of making it to the post-season were highly questionable after they slumped to 8-13 for the season by the start of February. It took them a while to find their feet, but they managed to bounce back in style.
Led by Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks have been one of the best teams post the All-Star break. They are tied for second, with teams like Utah, Milwaukee, Atlanta and Philadelphia on the list, with the most wins (24) since then.
During that stretch, they continued to thrive on their offense. Their offensive rating was 116.1, the fourth highest amongst all teams in the NBA. Meanwhile, they also improved defensively and are the 13th best team in that department with a rating of 111.4.
Luka Doncic was undisputedly their best player during that stretch. He averaged 27.2 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.6 rebounds per game. However, he received some much-needed support from the rest of his teammates as well.
On that note, we list three role players who have been highly important in the team's successful turnaround and could prove to be the key for the Dallas Mavericks to make a deep run in the 2021 NBA playoffs.
3 Role players that could be crucial for the Dallas Mavericks' hopes of making a deep NBA Playoffs run
#1 Tim Hardaway Jr.
Tim Hardaway Jr. wasn't as reliable for the Dallas Mavericks at the start of the season and was inconsistent for a brief period after the All-Star break as well. However, he has emerged as a solid third option of late for the Mavericks alongside Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. He was recently included in the starting lineup as a result.
Hardaway peaked at the right time when the threat of playing in the play-in tournament loomed over the Dallas Mavericks. However, with a series of strong performances, Hardaway provided the Mavericks with the extra push they needed to seal their place in the playoffs as a top-six side. He has averaged 23.9 points in his last nine games, shooting 52.1% from the field, including 45.9% from long-range.
He had a career-high night against the Pistons, scoring 42 points and made a career-best 10 three-pointers against the Miami Heat during that stretch.
#2 Dwight Powell
Akin to Tim Hardaway Jr., Dwight Powell has also risen to the occasion for the Dallas Mavericks late in the campaign. Unlike the former though, he wasn't initially given opportunities and played just around 12 minutes per game off the bench.
Powell made sure he capitalized when allowed to play a bigger role against the defending champions LA Lakers in a back-to-back series in the last week of April and has been a regular in the starting lineup since then. He scored a season-best 25 points in one of those games, shooting 11-of-12 from the field.
Powell has now become an integral part of the roster, providing the Mavericks with some much-needed size, which has improved their defense as a result. It has allowed the team to get the best out of Kristaps Porzingis, who can now play from the perimeter with Powell taking care of business inside the paint.
#3 Dorian Finney-Smith
Dorian Finney-Smith has been one of the most underrated players in the Dallas Mavericks camp this season. The 28-year-old shooting a career-best 46.8% from the field and 39.1% from the long-range. With Porzingis out for most of their games this season and Hardaway's inconsistent run of form, Finney-Smith flourished when the team was in trouble.
More often than not, opponents always look to double-team Doncic, which means players like Dorian Finney-Smith have to put in extra effort and get the job done. All of his 20-point games (4) have come since the start of April. His season-best performance came against the mighty Utah Jazz, when he scored 23 points, shooting 8-of-17 from the field and 5-of-12 from deep.
That kind of performance against a side with the best record in the league is a great testament to how impactful he can be during the post-season for the Dallas Mavericks. Since then his shooting rate has also improved and he is knocking down 50% of his field-goal attempts, including 42.1% from the three-point line. Finney-Smith has also been averaging 11.4 points per game since April, giving the team four starters who can score in double-digits consistently.
