New Orleans Pelicans: 4 Teams that will Make a Big Leap Next Season
The Dallas Mavericks
2019-20 Record: 40-27 (7th seed in West)
Predictions for 2020-21: 55-27 (3rd seed in West)
Why they’ll be better:
The Dallas Mavericks are another team that has the right mix of young and veteran talent to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
With phenom Luka Doncic and the Unicorn Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavericks have two of the best young players in the game.
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Unbelievably, they can get even better, which in Luka’s case, is pretty scary as he is already putting up numbers that place him among the all-time greats.
The Mavs were really coming on in the second half of the season and were primed to be one of the most dangerous teams in the Western Conference playoffs.
Improvements from their two young guys, coupled with more time together, should pay dividends for the Mavs in the standings.
They also have the 18th pick in the draft, which is not great, but could be packaged in a trade or used to swing for the fences on a high-upside player who is unproven.
There are also several teams in the West who are getting older and may take a step back next season including Oklahoma City, Houston and even the Jazz.
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Dallas has all the signs of being a team on the brink, they have an MVP candidate in Luka, a good mixture of veterans and youth and will add talent in the offseason.
It would be shocking if the Mavericks did not jump into the top-four next season and would be a good value bet to win the Western Conference.