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The Dallas Mavericks' last two NBA campaigns have ended in a first-round exit to the LA Clippers. They will look to become one of the better teams in the Western Conference this time around.
Head coach Jason Kidd already has a superstar in Luka Doncic, but he needs to surround the Slovenian with talented players to elevate the team. Even though Doncic has already signed his rookie extension, the Mavericks need to make longer playoff runs if they want to secure him as a lifetime Mav.
With Doncic being such a ball-dominant player, the best way to build a team around him is to surround him with shooters. The Dallas Mavericks front office has done a decent job in this regard. Here are the five best shooters they currently have on their roster.
#5 Kristaps Porzingis, Dallas Mavericks, Power Forward
Kristaps Porzingis has become one of the best three-point shooting bigs in the NBA. He stands at 7 foot 3 inches, making his shots very hard to contest.
Since joining the Dallas Mavericks in 2020, Porzingis has attempted 6.6 threes a game and has made 36% of them.
For his career, the 26-year-old is a 36% shooter from three on 5.1 attempts. In his first season with the Mavericks, he struggled as a three-point shooter. He did tear his ACL the previous season, which contributed to his shooting struggles.
Despite his injury issues, last season might have been one of the best shooting campaigns of Porzingis' career. He made 38% of his threes while taking six a game. This is the second-highest percentage in his career.
If Porzingis can expand on what he did in previous regular seasons and add more to his overall game, the Dallas Mavericks could also improve a great deal.
#4 Dorian Finney-Smith, Dallas Mavericks, Forward
Dorian Finney-Smith is on the Dallas Mavericks to provide two things: three-point shooting and defense.
The 28-year-old was not a good three-point shooter in the first three seasons of his career, shooting 30% on 2.8 attempts. However, something must have clicked in the 2019 offseason because he has shot 39% on 4.6 attempts in the two campaigns since then.
Finney-Smith has so far been the perfect 3-and-D player to deploy alongside Doncic in the last two seasons. In those seasons, most of his shots were from the three-point line. He only attempted 7.5 shots a game.
The 2020-21 season was Finney-Smith's best three-point shooting campaign of his career, as he took five threes a game and made 39% of them. It should be noted that 97% of those threes were assisted.
#3 Reggie Bullock, Dallas Mavericks, Wing
Reggie Bullock signed a three-year $30-million contract with the Dallas Mavericks in the offseason.
Like Dorian Finney-Smith, Bullock can be categorized as a 3-and-D player. Early in his career, he was not given enough playing time to show off what he could do in the NBA.
In the first four seasons of his career, Bullock only averaged just 11.5 minutes per game. He broke out in his fifth season as he averaged 27.9 minutes, taking 4.5 threes and making 46% of them.
Since then, Bullock has provided quality three-point shooting whenever he is offered decent minutes.
Last season with the New York Knicks, he attempted 6.1 threes a game, the second-highest of his career, and made 41% of them. On top of that, 98% of his threes were off assists, making him a deadeye catch-a-shoot option.
#2 Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks, Guard
Luka Doncic is the best player on the Dallas Mavericks roster, but that does not make him the best shooter.
Doncic is the driving force of the Mavericks offense. That often forces him to take a lot of shots, which lowers his overall percentages. For his career, he is just a 33% shooter from three on 8.1 attempts.
However, Doncic put up his best season from behind the arc last season, shooting 35% on 8.3 attempts. Furthermore, he was lights out from three in the playoffs, taking 10.9 shots a game and making them 41% of the time.
Doncic could improve as a shooter this season. If his playoff statistics are closer to what we expect from him this season, he might win MVP of the league in his fourth year in the NBA.
Also Read: What is Luka Doncic’s Current Contract?
#1 Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks, Shooting Guard
Tim Hardaway Jr. has been a solid shooter from three in his career, taking 5.9 per game and making 36% of them.
However, in the last two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, Hardaway has shot 7.4 threes a game while making 39% of them. This makes him one of the better three-point shooters in the league.
The issue with Hardaway early in his career was that he was often reckless from the three-point line. He has had back-to-back seasons shooting over seven threes and making under 35% of them.
However, he is now one of the better shooters in the game. His shooting is vital to the Dallas Mavericks team and takes the edge off Doncic.
Guess the Lakers players!
