The Dallas Mavericks are one of the top offensive teams in the NBA. Dallas is shooting a league-high 39.5 percent from the 3-point line while averaging 123.4 points per game.
Sixth man Tim Hardaway Jr. has been a big part of the team’s improved offense. He averages 18.7 points per game and shoots above 40 percent from behind the 3-point line. In Dallas’s win against the Washington Wizards Wednesday, Hardaway Jr. dropped 31 points while knocking in seven 3-pointers.
Newcomer Grant Williams has also played a pivotal role in the team’s improved offense. He is shooting 49.2 percent from behind the arc and is the Mavs’ fourth-leading scorer.
Top 10 Dallas Mavericks duos of all time
However, a majority of the Dallas’ offense is driven by All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Doncic is the team’s main man, as he leads the Mavs in points, assists, and rebounds per game. Through 12 games, he is averaging 30.7 points per game, the third-highest in the league, while shooting 50.2 percent from the field.
Irving, on the other hand, is averaging 22.3 points per game. He has been a valuable asset for Dallas and has done a great job taking the pressure off Luka.
Doncic and Irving are averaging 53.0 points per game combined and dominating everyone that is in front of them. They are a lethal threat together and have been headaches for defenses.
So just how good is the Mavs’ duo? Where might they compare to past Dallas duos?
Either way, this pair has a lot of work to do if they want to be labeled the top duo in franchise history.
Here are the top ten duos in Dallas Mavericks history (from worst to best).
10. Jason Kidd & Jamal Mashburn
Jason Kidd and Jamal Mashburn were the top young duo in the 1990s. The Dallas pair brought success in their first season together but struggled to connect on the court.
The Mavs drafted Mashburn during the 1993 NBA Draft. He had a successful rookie season, averaging 19.2 points per game. However, the team struggled to find that winning mentality, as they finished the season with a record of 13-69.
A year later, the Mavs drafted Jason Kidd. Kidd and Mashburn formed a dynamic trio with Jim Jackson (The Triple J’s). The team got off to a hot start that season, winning seven of their first 11 games. However, Dallas struggled during the second half.
The team would finish the year with a 36-46 record, and Kidd would tie Grant Hill for the Rookie of the Year.
Things however didn’t pan out how Dallas had hoped, as off-court issues and injuries began to pill up. Kidd would play one more season with the team before being traded during the 1996-97 season. His inability to connect with coaches made Dallas trade him to the Phoenix Suns.
Mashburn struggled with injuries and had trouble getting his weight down. He would later get traded to the Miami Heat.
This duo had potential, as they helped Dallas improve their win percentage by 23 games. The 1994-95 season would be their only complete season together.
Could a happy Kidd have helped Dallas get over their losing woes sooner? What about Mashburn, what if he never got hurt?
9. Luka Doncic & Kristaps Porzingis
Another duo that had potential was Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
During their first season together, the Dallas duo helped the team reach the playoffs for the first since the 2016 campaign. The Mavs finished as the seventh seed that year but failed to play out a complete season as COVID hit.
Dallas ended up losing in the first round to the LA Clippers in six games.
The following year would be the final season Doncic and Porzingis would play together. That season, Dallas finished as the fifth-best team in the West.
The Mavs ended up falling to the LA Clippersagainst in the first round of the playoffs.
The problem was the duo failed to establish a connection. They would fail to find each other on the court or meet each other’s expectations.
The failed chemistry between Doncic and Porzingis, and the injuries made it easy for Dallas to trade the 7-foot-3 star.
Dallas would go on to find success after the Porzingis, as the team would reach the Western Conference Finals.
8. Dirk Nowitzki & Monta Ellis
The next duo on the list may have been temporary, but they were an exciting bunch to watch.
Two years after winning the championship, the Dallas Mavericks were still trying to find pieces to pair alongside Dirk Nowitzki. During the 2013-14 season, Dallas signed Monta Ellis to a three-year contract.
In his first season with the Mavs, Ellis averaged 19 points per game and shot 45 percent from the field. He played a role in helping Dallas reach the playoffs after missing the year before. Nowitzki also helped out, as he averaged above 21 points per game.
That season, the Mavs finished as the eight seed in the West. The team faced off against the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Ellis and Nowitzki pushed the Spurs to a game seven, thanks to the help of Vince Carter.
*
Leave a Reply