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The Dallas Mavericks front office duo of Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz have spent most of the offseason re-tooling the margins of their roster to provide new head coach Dusty May with as much depth as possible.
It'll be up to the first-time NBA head coach to figure out how all of the pieces will fit once training camp begins later this fall.
The Mavericks' nucleus headlined by Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II remains in tact, with several rotation players still on the roster. May has the foundation of last season's team in place, but he'll be tasked with finding playing time for the team's newcomers, including Zaccharie Risacher, Morez Johnson Jr., Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser, Sergio De Larrea and Tarik Biberovic.
May will be required to figure out a rotation that could range anywhere from nine to 12 players, but given the Mavericks' injury history, every one on the roster could receive the opportunity to play at some point during the season.
As things stand, the Mavericks have 16 players under contract on standard deals: Aldama, Biberovic, Max Christie, Moussa Cisse, De Larrea, Flagg, Daniel Gafford, Irving, Johnson, Lively, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, Risacher, Sasser, Klay Thompson and P.J. Washington. They'll need to waive or trade a player by opening night to meet the league maximum of 15.
May arrives with the benefit of familiarity after coaching Johnson last season at Michigan, but he'll have to learn more about how the rest of the roster pairs. He'll have the opportunity to experiment with rotations and combinations during training camp and the preseason, which includes two games against the Houston Rockets in Macao, China.
That experimentation could very well bleed over into start of the regular season, which has yet to be announced by the NBA, but here is a projection of how the Mavericks' rotation could look on opening night, even though someone will eventually have to be moved.
Starting lineup
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Max Christie
SF: Cooper Flagg
PF: P.J. Washington Jr.
C: Dereck Lively II
Mavericks' depth chart
PG: Kyrie Irving, Marcus Sasser, Sergio De Larrea
SG: Max Christie, Klay Thompson, Tarik Biberovic
SF: Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall, Zaccharie Risacher, Caleb Martin
PF: P.J. Washington, Morez Johnson Jr.
C: Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Santi Aldama, Moussa Cisse
The Mavericks could return the same starting lineup from last season and insert Irving, providing the first unit with an elite ball-handler and efficient perimeter shooter who could alter the dynamic of an offense that ranked 27th in the NBA last season. The biggest starting lineup battles could come from the shooting guard and center position, but Irving's presence tremendously enhances the group's offense.
Adding another dynamic 3-point shooter to that lineup could help every member of the starting five, especially Flagg, who won't have to shoulder as much of the offensive burden as he did as a rookie. Irving's gravity will also help Christie receive cleaner looks from 3, and his ability to draw several defenders should open the lob game, maximizing Lively and Gafford's talents.
As for the bench, this is where May will be tested most. There are several players on the roster with versatility and size and the coaching staff need to find a good balance of playmaking, shooting and defensive pressure.
A clear rotation projection will be easier to project once the Mavericks conclude their offseason with the inevitable cut or trade to finalize the roster, but this current depth chart proves the team will be full of interchangeable wings for May to tinker with.
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