GM Survey Shows High Praise For Mavericks, Luka Doncic

General Managers of all 30 NBA teams answered 50 questions ahead of the 2024-25 season. They had a lot to say about Dallas.

Keenan Womack | Oct 8, 2024

Sep 30, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; (editor’s note, merged photo), from left, Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) and guard Klay Thompson (31) and guard Luka Doncic (77) and guard Kyrie Irving (11) and forward P.J. Washington (25) pose 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

The annual GM Survey was just released ahead of the 2024-25 season, which starts on October 22 with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks squaring off in Boston for Ring Night followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves visiting the LA Lakers.

The GMs had a lot to say about the Dallas Mavericks and their superstar point guard Luka Doncic, who they voted as the best player in the league at the lead initiator position, followed by the Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Warriors' Stephen Curry, and former Maverick and current Knick Jalen Brunson.

They also voted Doncic as the player who forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments, speaking to his ability to put pressure on defenses using his basketball IQ and manipulation using his handle and vision. When asked "If you were starting a franchise today and could sign any player in the NBA, who would it be," GMs ranked Doncic as the fourth player on the list behind Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, and the aforementioned Gilgeous-Alexander.

Despite his primary role as point guard, Doncic was also rated as tied for the second-best small forward in the NBA behind Jayson Tatum and tied with Kevin Durant and LeBron James. His positional versatility hasn't been shown much recently, as he almost always plays lead ball handler, but this demonstrates the level of respect that GMs have for Doncic no matter where he is on the floor.

GMs said that Luka is the second-most likely to win MVP this season behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and also said that the Mavericks' acquisition of Klay Thompson was the fifth-most underrated pickup of the offseason.

As for the Mavericks as a team, they were ranked third likeliest to win the NBA Finals behind the defending champion Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Boston garnered an impressive 83% of the vote for repeating as the winners of the Larry O'Brien Trophy, while the Thunder received 10% and the Mavericks 3%.

Clearly, the people who run the NBA are high on this Mavericks team, and believe there is a path back to the Finals once again. It will be up to Doncic and company to continue to improve and make adjustments against the rest of the West to complete their goal.

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Published Oct 8, 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.