NBA Power Rankings: Mavs Exposed When Luka Doncic Sits?

Luka Doncic leads the league in scoring. But are the Dallas Mavericks relevant without him?

Jeremy Brener | Nov 21, 2022

The Dallas Mavericks are picking up the pieces after a tight one-point loss to the Denver Nuggets over the weekend.

The defeat capped off a 2-2 week for the Mavericks that keeps them two games over .500. It also keeps the Mavs at No. 10 in this week's power rankings from Sports Illustrated.

"Dallas lost to one of the worst teams in the NBA in its first game this season without Dončić," SI writes. "The league’s highest-usage player took a night off to rest, and the Mavericks managed just 92 points against the Rockets, hardly a defensive juggernaut. It was still a 2–2 week for the team with a win over the Clippers and a split against the Nuggets. In October, Dallas led the league in offensive rating. It’s down to No. 21 so far in November and No. 11 for the season. Dončić still leads the league in scoring (33.5 ppg), but even he can only do so much."

It's clear that the Mavs will go as far as Dončić will take them. Last season, with Jalen Brunson alongside him in the backcourt, the Mavericks had another creator who could shoulder those playmaking abilities when Dončić sat on the bench. However, the slack isn't being picked up enough by the supporting cast, and until Dallas finds another player to step up (Christian Wood maybe?), the Mavericks won't be able to compete like they did last year.

The Mavs are on the road this week facing the Boston Celtics (Wed.), Toronto Raptors (Sat.) and Milwaukee Bucks (Sun.).

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Published Nov 21, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.