It’s time to continue our series breaking down the Mavericks’ roster.
Rather than just running down the assets and debits of each player, we’re going to approach this year’s roster evaluation a little differently.
With a sound track.
Since the Mavericks reached the Western Conference finals last season and have made it clear that championships are the only measuring stick they will use moving forward in the Luka Dončić era, it’s time to analyze what they need from each player to someday make that a reality, preferably sooner than later.
And there’s a theme song, or two or three – basketball’s version of walk-up music, if you will – for each player.
So here we look at each player (in alphabetical order) and what they must accomplish for the Mavericks to be title worthy. We’ll assume good health for everybody, which is always the No. 1 issue.
Next up is JaVale McGee.
THEME SONGS: Ramblin’ Man by the Allman Brothers, Changes by David Bowie and Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac.
STAT FROM 2021-22 THAT MUST IMPROVE: There’s not really one that needs a major uptick. But there are two that need to remain consistent. McGee played 74 games last season. That’s huge for a guy who missed 26 games the previous season and played only 34 games in his one season with the Mavericks. In addition, having McGee continue to average more than 20 rebounds per 48 minutes played would be a major help in one of the departments that was a glaring deficiency last season.
BREAKDOWN: Notice a trend in those walk-up songs? McGee is back for his second go-‘round with the Mavericks, but he’s a lot different these days than he was in 2017, when the atmosphere around both him and the Mavericks was much different. McGee has made five stops in the six seasons since he was here. And, in some ways, coming through Dallas jump-started his career. McGee has won three championships since then, two with Golden State and one with the Los Angeles Lakers. But anybody who is betting on McGee being here long term probably isn’t very prosperous at the casino. He’s changed teams 10 times going into his 15th season. Still, he’s only 34 years old, so it’s fair to think that there might still be a few good seasons left in his tank. What McGee does very well, and what the Mavericks need most from him, is his rebounding. He averaged 6.7 boards per game and played less than 16 minutes. He also scored at a good clip, too – more than nine points per game. And with Luka feeding him, you figure there will be a few points coming McGee’s way. But if he can continue to pull down an offensive rebound every seven minutes, as he has done the last several seasons, the Mavericks will be getting a bargain after signing McGee during the free-agent scramble this summer.
NEXT: Theo Pinson.
PREVIOUSLY:
Maxi Kleber: https://www.mavs.com/kleber-profile/
Jaden Hardy: https://www.mavs.com/hardy-profile/
Tim Hardaway Jr.: https://www.mavs.com/hardaway-profile/
Josh Green: https://www.mavs.com/green-profile/
Dorian Finney-Smith: https://www.mavs.com/finney-smith-profile/
Tyler Dorsey: https://www.mavs.com/dorsey-profile/
Luka Doncic: https://www.mavs.com/luka-profile/
Spencer Dinwiddie: https://www.mavs.com/dinwiddie-profile/
Reggie Bullock: https://www.mavs.com/profiles-bullock/
Davis Bertans: https://www.mavs.com/profiles-bertans/
Twitter: @Esefko
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