Mavs-Jazz preview: Even smart moves don’t always work out well

Every general manager in the NBA is trying to make his team better.

Bad teams are trying to get mediocre. Mediocre teams are trying to get good. Good teams, great. Great teams want to be champions.

But it doesn’t always work out, even when teams make good decisions.

The Utah Jazz have fallen into a tough situation in spite of doing a lot of things right.

They invade American Airlines Center on Monday night and the team the Mavericks will see brings an 0-2 record into the 7:30 p.m. game. The Jazz have missed the playoffs the last two seasons.

In the six seasons before that, they made the playoffs every year, averaged 49 wins and drafted some really good talent like Donovan Mitchell in the middle of the first round.

They had taken Rudy Gobert before that late in the first round. They were a dangerous team.

But it just didn’t work. When it became clear that the assembled group wasn’t going to get to the promised land, the Jazz made changes and a rebuild began under third-year coach Will Hardy.

The Jazz still are dangerous, but they are banking on young players like Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, Taylor Hendricks and Bryce Sensabaugh developing into high-level players.

They aren’t there yet, which means the Jazz are led by Lauri Markkanen and an unproven group behind him. They figure to pay the price for developing a young core this season.

You only have to go back a few years to find a time when the Mavericks were in a similar situation. The difference is they were picking high in the NBA draft and came away with Luka Dončić. The rebuild after Dirk Nowitzki’s retirement was accelerated after that.

The Jazz will need similar good fortune to fast-forward their rebuilding efforts. But in the NBA, you’re never further than a No. 1 pick of Cooper Flagg from your franchise taking a quantum leap.

Here’s what to look for in Monday’s matchup:

• The Mavericks are looking to bounce back after a 114-102 loss at Phoenix on Saturday. Last season, they went 3-1 against the Jazz and Dončić averaged 30.5 points, 11.5 assists and 9.3 rebounds. This will be the Jazz’s only trip to Dallas this season.
• Luka remains tied for eighth all-time in triple-doubles with 77, tied with James Harden. With one more triple-double, he’ll move into a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for seventh on the all-time list.
• The Jazz have been starting Markkanen, Hendricks, Kessler, George and Collin Sexton. Markkanen is averaging 24 points and 8.5 rebounds. Kessler has averaged 9 points and 11.5 rebounds. But their two losses, both at home, have been by two points to Memphis and 41 to Golden State.
• Though it’s a small sample size, the Mavericks have averaged only 9.5 turnovers through two games, second-lowest in the NBA.
• It’s hard to argue with the three-point production of the Mavericks’ superstars through two games. Klay Thompson has hit 50 percent from beyond the arc, Kyrie Irving 41.7 percent and Dončić 37.5 percent.

UTAH JAZZ (0-2) at MAVERICKS (1-1)

When: 7:30 p.m., Monday

Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas

TV: KFAA-29; MavsTV Stream

Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @ESefko