The previous round of playoffs included so many headlining moments. The Warriors reclaimed their throne as the NBA’s kings (well, road games say otherwise this season). A Jimmy Butler miss from three sent the Celtics to the Finals against the Warriors. The Lakers embarrassingly missed the playoffs. The Celtics swept the Kevin Durant-led Brooklyn Nets in the first round. Most incredibly, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks torched the Phoenix Suns to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Mavericks' Luka Doncic has message for Suns' Devin Booker after heated exchange - NBC Sports Bay Area

The Devin Booker-Luka Doncic rivalry that stemmed from the Suns-Mavs 2022 playoff matchup – Eric Mullin, NBC Sports.

But, the Mavs look like they may not even make the playoffs this season. They currently sit at the 11th seed – they are literally outside the play-in race! From harassing Devin Booker to getting technical fouls retracked, Luka Doncic’s winning prospects drastically switched over just one season. If the Mavericks somehow miss the playoffs, they would be one of three teams since the 1980s to make the conference finals the previous season and entirely miss the playoffs the following season. Thus, this rare unfortune begs the question: are the Dallas Mavericks really going to miss the playoffs?

What went wrong this past off-season?

Jalen Brunson brings a needed Villanova mindset to the New York Knicks - SBNation.com

Brunson signed with the Knicks during the 2022 off-season – Paul Hedrick, SBNation.

Historically, Mark Cuban’s free agency track record has been, well, poor, and he didn’t do himself any favor this past season. After a highly electrifying playoff run – highlighted by his then career-high 41-point bomb against the Jazz – where he led the Mavs during Luka’s absence, Cuban somehow decided to not resign the then-free agent Brunson. Understandably, Brunson found a suitor with the New York Knicks.

Although uncertainty regarding Brunson’s playoff relative explosion is fair, he offered reliable point guard play during Doncic’s resting minutes on the bench. Brunson could pass the ball and control the flow of the offense at the half-court and full-court levels – the Mavs let this go somehow! What makes this worse is that the Mavs could have done a sign & trade with the Knicks; however, they literally got nothing back for Brunson. Such an unproductive off-season depletes both the team’s present and future.

What’s gone wrong during the regular season?

Dorian Finney-Smith played his role to perfection - Mavs Moneyball

Mavs lost Dorian Finney-Smith to the Nets in the Kyrie Irving trade – Matt Gilroy, SBNation.

Last season, the Dallas Mavericks defended teams tooth-and-nail – 6th best defense without a superstar defender. Jason Kidd’s well-acclaimed defense-oriented coaching enforced cohesion on the court, but this season’s Mavs miss this spark. Their defense now ranks among the bottom ten teams in the league, and besides the Sacramento Kings (first playoff run in 17 years), it’s only lottery teams tanking for Victor Wembenyama, the generational 1st overall pick.

Their offense, while certainly not the league’s best, does the job as they’re led by the mastermind Luka Doncic. Instead of fixing their defensive woes at the trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks traded for Kyrie Irving and gave up Dorian Finney-Smith – their glue guy and best defender! This offensive firepower has result in no gain; the Mavericks are 3-8 and continue to worsen with Irving on their roster.

Giving up a hustle player in Finney-Smith resulted in significant energy depletion in their play; the hustle for defense, rebounds, deflections – basically, the team doesn’t put effort into bothering their opponent. With such a porous defense and an unpolished offense, the Mavericks seem destined for failure this season.

What can the Mavericks do now?

Unfortunately for Mavs’ fans, the answer to this blog’s question seems bleak: a resounding no. Unless the Mavericks somehow turn it around within 5 games, their chances at even making the play-in tournament seem miniscule. The Oklahoma City Thunder, led by rising superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, are powering through the league since the trade deadline. So are the Lakers, and so are the Timberwolves. Only thing Mavs fans can do are hope their teams wins these next few games to conclude the season. But, the Mavs have one great fear: a dissatisfied Luka Doncic potentially leaving them.