The Dallas Mavericks are off to a bumpy start to begin the season.
The team lost each of its first two games at home against the San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards before picking up its first win of the season facing the Toronto Raptors. ClutchPoints reporter Brett Siegel was not impressed, moving the Mavericks down a whopping 15 spots in his latest power rankings.
“From the middle of the pack to the bottom of the standings, the Dallas Mavericks have fallen 15 spots in the NBA power rankings, the most out of any team in the league. This is not due to a lack of talent but because of their lack of intensity and attention to detail,” Siegel wrote.
“There is no reason why the Mavs can’t be a top defensive team in the league, yet they got dismantled by the Spurs and Washington Wizards in their first two games of the season. While their offense got going against Toronto, the Mavericks still surrendered 129 points.”
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Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg makes a three point shot against the Toronto Raptors. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Mavs were just inside the top 10 at No. 9 in Siegel’s last power rankings, but now the team is sitting at No. 24. The only teams lower than the Mavs are the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, and Brooklyn Nets.
The Mavs clearly have defensive issues, and those need to be sorted out before the team can get back towards the top of the power rankings.
“Until Dallas figures things out defensively and can put together complete performances, they are nothing more than pretenders in the West. The Luka Doncic trade was horrible from the start, and it continues to look worse every day, especially with Anthony Davis clearly being out of shape to begin the season,” Siegel wrote.
The Mavericks are back in action tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT inside American Airlines Center.
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