The Mavericks knew coming into this season that they had a budding superstar in Luka Doncic, who quickly lost the “budding” part of that description.
They also thought they had a legitimate lieutenant, an able sidekick in Kristaps Porzingis, who they expected to mesh perfectly with Doncic.
What they weren’t sure of is if anybody on the roster was capable of being third in command.
As the season begins its NASCAR stretch, swerving through the final 20-odd games with bumper-to-bumper action between teams angling for playoff positioning, the Mavericks have seen Tim Hardaway Jr.