The are off to a good start. They are 9-5 with a +1.8 net rating following a season in which they were 38-44 with a -0.2 net rating. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are combining to form an elite offense, mixed with enough defense to lead to a 119.9 offensive rating and a 115.6 defensive rating when the pair are deployed together per NBA.com. It is important to note that the possession and subsequent per 100 possession ratings data varies depending on which website one uses for their information.
The problem is, the Mavericks have somehow gotten even worse defensively.