2. Dallas Mavericks
Another team that has yet to give Crawford a try in his NBA career is a rising power in the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks. Entering the season’s restart, the Mavericks will be one of the more curious stories to watch among those teams that should be a near-lock to at least stay in the playoff picture.
The Mavericks will be looking to make that elusive final push into the playoffs behind the guidance of rising superstar 6-foot-7 guard Luka Doncic and the seven-footer and stretch forward Kristaps Porzingis. If the combination of Doncic and Porzingis are going to stay healthy and consistent heading into the final games of the regular season and playoffs, then the Mavericks will be dangerous.
Doncic showed that he could be a true MVP contender in the season that is on pause. He averaged an astounding 28.7 points per game, 9.3 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks. Luka managed an incredible 8.4 box plus/minus rating, 27.7 player efficiency rating, .215 win shares per 48 minutes, and a 58.4 true shooting percentage.
The point guard depth is a very tricky aspect for the Mavs. They did already sign Burke off the free agent market, and Delon Wright and veteran J.J. Barea also lie behind Doncic on the depth chart. But the Mavericks don’t have that true veteran spark plug presence off the bench (beside Barea at times) that Crawford could bring to the table.