Sure. The schedule to start the 2023-24 season has been a little Mavs-friendly. And sure, the one time the Mavericks (5-1) have been tested by an elite NBA team, they came up short in Denver.
And sure, even in the first five wins of the season, Dallas is leaving fans with more questions than answers as lineups shuffle, role players and rookies impress and Luka Donu010diu0107 takes a couple of games off from going beast mode.
But the early returns have been positive on paper if not quite as pretty on film the day after. After exorcising some Charlotte Hornets-related demons 124-118 Sunday, the Mavs are showing more depth than last season, and that will be put to the test against the Orlando Magic (4-2) at the Amway Center.