Bill Simmons Predicts Mavericks Win Total, Luka Doncic MVP

The NBA Podcaster has high hopes for Dallas.

Keenan Womack | Oct 17, 2024

Sep 30, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) poses for a photo during the 2024 Dallas Mavericks media day. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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Dallas Mavericks

Podcaster Bill Simmons, on his show "The Bill Simmons Podcast," did his over/under predictions on wins for the 2024-25 NBA Season, and had a lot of positive things to say about the Dallas Mavericks and their chances in the Western Conference. Projected at 50.5 wins this year according to FanDuel Sportsbook, Simmons, plus cohosts Ryen Russillo and Joe House, gave their predictions for Dallas' season about this number.

"They had a 28-9 stretch at some point before they hit the Finals, and I feel like that's the Dallas team we're getting," said Simmons of the post-trade-deadline Mavericks squad. "I don't understand why this team wouldn't be at least a 52-30 team, and that's before we even get into the Luka Doncic MVP stuff."

His cohost Russillo, though he went against the idea that they would go above their win total, still admitted the team got better due to their acquisitions. "I really like what they did. I love Naji Marshall...I even like the Quentin Grimes pickup...A full season of Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington, plus the Dereck Lively II combination there." He explained that his reason for going under on the win total had more to do with the Western Conference than it did with Dallas.

Simmons also picked Doncic to win the 2024-25 MVP Award over other candidates like Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He rattled off some impressive stats that supported his theory: "Luka is 33-9-9 [statistically] the last two seasons. He has 30.9 points per game in 50 playoff games, second only behind Michael Jordan. He's at 28.7 points per game for his career; only Jordan and Wilt [Chamberlain] are higher. He might have had the best six-season statistical start to a career since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar... [but he] has no MVPs. I think he wins the MVP this year, which is one of the reasons I'm going over [on win total]. I would pick Luka just because I find it hard to believe he's not going to win an MVP. He's too good."

Co-host Joe House was similarly high on Dallas, even saying they would go significantly over the projected total of 50.5. "They're basically trading spots with Denver [and winning 57 games]," he said on the podcast in response to Simmons. "I think they got better."

It will be up to Doncic and this Mavericks team to prove them right this year. The season tips on October 24 against the San Antonio Spurs.

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Published Oct 17, 2024

KEENAN WOMACK

Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.