Power Rankings: Mavs Tumble in 1st Losing Season Since Luka Doncic Rookie Year

Luka Doncic averaged a career-high 32.4 points in the Dallas Mavericks’ first losing season since drafting him.

DALLAS - It's the best time of the year for the NBA, and the Dallas Mavericks are on the outside looking in. The NBA Playoffs schedule and seeding has been set, with 20 teams still in the mix for the 2022-23 title, but the Mavs will have to watch from home this year.

One year removed from battling the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, the Mavs tanked down the stretch, which was a front-office decision star Luka Doncic was not happy about. Dallas’ disappointing season finally ended with a blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. 

The long offseason, with many questions and likely changes, begins now. 

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said on Wednesday that re-signing star guard Kyrie Irving is the team’s top priority heading into the offseason, but Irving was the only Maverick to not speak with the media in exit interviews on Sunday. This likely means the next time anyone hears from him publicly, it will likely be in a press conference for whichever team signs him this summer.

In the newest power rankings by CBS Sports, Dallas lands at No. 22 with their final 38-44 record. 

Welp. The desperation trade deadline acquisition of Kyrie Irving didn't pan out, as the Mavs went 5-11 with both he and Luka Doncic on the floor and elected to try to keep their lottery pick rather than fight for a play-in spot. The defense was bad all year, but particularly after the trade, and the offense just couldn't keep up despite Doncic's brilliance.

Doncic averaged a career-high 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 points per game this season. It was Dallas' first losing season since Doncic's rookie year in 2017-18. The Mavs struggled in the final stretch of the regular season, going 9-18 since Irving's first game with the team and falling out of the playoff picture. Doncic hopes to get another chance at playing with Irving next season.

"I wish we can continue that chemistry and relationship," Doncic said following Dallas' 138-117 season finale on Sunday. "It's not going to happen in a day, in a week. It's a building process but I would like to (keep playing with [Irving], yeah."

A quick look at the postseason picture that leaves the Mavs cropped out … The No. 1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets locked down home-court advantage, while the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers seem to be trending up at the right time. The Bucks are the favorites to win the championship while the defending-champion Golden State Warriors successfully avoided the Play-In-Tournament with the No. 6 seed.

Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for more NBA Playoffs preview coverage this week.

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