Grandscape parking lots empty out for different reasons in October: retail, football Fridays, and the first honest NBA arguments of the year.
The Mavericks' argument this time is mathematical. NBA.com's John Schuhmann reported that Dallas ranked second in transition efficiency last season (1.20 points per chance) and 30th in the half court (0.93), finishing 27th offensively overall. The club also posted the league's largest gap between early-clock effective field goal percentage (64.1%, fifth) and everything after the first six seconds (52.7%, 28th).
Those numbers traveled north with every fan who watched lottery basketball. They also explain why Dusty May's first job is not finding another athlete. It is finding a half-court diet that survives when the break is dead.
A logjam in the paint
Shaun Powell's NBA.com preview listed the frontcourt crowd: P.J. Washington, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Santi Aldama, and Morez Johnson Jr. Lively and Kyrie Irving are both expected back from lengthy injury absences, USA Today reported. ESPN's injury notes earlier in the summer still had Lively short of running as of late June, a reminder that "expected back" is not the same as "opening-night ready."
Powell called the surplus a useful problem because competition clarifies roles. It becomes a harmful problem if May's rotations stutter through the Oct. 21 opener at Houston and the Oct. 24 home date against San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama.
Spacing help on the wing
Zaccharie Risacher arrives from Atlanta after two uneven seasons as a former No. 1 pick, Powell wrote, with Dallas betting that a lighter burden and a believing coach unlock rotation value. Sergio de Larrea and Marcus Sasser were among other additions Powell catalogued. The wing and guard depth still lean heavily on Irving's availability, ESPN's Zach Kram noted when describing how thin the backcourt became.
What The Colony's early-season watch looks like
The dates are fixed by the team's schedule release: Rockets on the road Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. CT, Pacers on Oct. 23, Spurs at AAC on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. CT. NBA Cup noise against Houston returns to AAC on Oct. 30.
Between those tips, the evaluative question is blunt. Can Lively protect the rim often enough to let Flagg roam? Can Aldama's stretch shooting, which Powell noted produced double-figure scoring averages in each of the last three seasons in Memphis, keep the floor honest?
