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#2 Mediocre Defense
Dallas Mavericks' defensive efficiency ranked in the bottom half of the table last season as they gave up 112.3 points per 100 possessions. The Mavs' lack of rebounding played a part in having lower defensive efficiency as they gave up more second-chance points. Their defense pegged them back despite them having a top-10 offense which at times was firing on all cylinders.
The Mavs addressed their defensive inefficiency by signing scrappy defenders such as Sterling Brown and Frank Ntilikana, who are bound to help them improve.
Dallas ranked dead-last in steals, showing that they failed to shut opponents down and make them pay with turnovers. However, they had decent rim protection as they ranked top-10 in opposition points in the paint despite ranking 26th in blocks.
The stats prove that Jason Kidd has a huge task improving the team's defense before they are ready to make a deep playoff run.
#1 Dallas Mavericks' over-reliance on Luka Doncic
The Dallas Mavericks possess a once-in-a-generation talent in the form of Luka Doncic and are running the risk of burning him out due to their over-reliance on the superstar guard.
Doncic ranked second in the league in usage percentage with 35% last year, with a spike to 39% in the postseason. Usage rates are usually high for superstars, but Luka's percentage trends are on the heavier side and will weigh on the star as he grows older.
Kristaps Porzingis can lighten that load on Luka, carrying more of the offense than he did last season. However, Dallas' inability to get a secondary playmaker might come back to bite them at a later point.
