The Dallas Mavericks had become a modern team. As the Mavericks ecstatically blazed through last season’s second half, a friend from another fan base asked me what was going on down in Dallas, and that’s what I said. Wingier, spacier, more mobile; smaller and sleeker. The big trade that defined the year wasn’t just a player for a player, but a stylistic change.
It’s easy to forget now, but Kristaps Porzingiz and another big were in two of the five most commonly used lineups last year. They posted negative net ratings and were the two worst in both offense and defense out of the five.