The Mavericks made a lot of changes to their original roster this summer offseason, sending Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green away, and Jones Jr. was also signed by the Clippers. At the same time, the team also signed two shooters who shot nearly 39 percent from three-point range, former Pelicans wing player Marshall and the Warriors' top two pick, Klay.
This means that the team's role players will no longer be the semi-shooters of last season, and Kleber will no longer be the only space to be trusted, Marshall and Klay are enough to take on the heavy responsibility, and the Mavericks' role players' projection shortcomings have been greatly improved.
So, will the Mavericks be the top seed in the West in the new season? In fact, the team's opponent in the Western Conference semifinals last season, the Thunder, also made up for the shortcomings: sending away Keady in exchange for a top-level 3-and-D Caruso and signing young center Harden.
Caruso's presence means that the Thunder can discharge an offensive and defensive full-space lineup at critical moments, and when Alexander and Jalen Williams break through with the ball, the opponent will no longer dare to be unscrupulous, because there is no Keady This non-space point, such a configuration will make it difficult for the opponent to defend.
Even more extravagant, the Thunder signed Hatten, a center who played well with the Knicks in the playoffs last season, to a three-year, $87 million contract. At this point, the team really has two long-term insiders, and when they face off against the Mavericks again, Gafford and Lively will never continue to unscrupulously turn over the sea on the inside. With rebounding guaranteed, the Thunder's ball-handlers will get more opportunities to re-attack, and the interior will no longer be a disadvantage.
What kind of interior is Hatten? WITH A HEIGHT OF 213CM AND A WEIGHT OF 113 KILOGRAMS, HE IS MORE THAN CAPABLE OF FIGHTING AGAINST THOSE TALL AND LARGE INTERIOR PLAYERS, AS WELL AS PICKING AND DISMANTLING AND CATCHING CAKES, AND HAS EXCELLENT FRONTCOURT REBOUNDING ABILITY. It can be said that the center can protect the basket, block, protect the rebound, play the pick-and-roll, and can do almost anything except three-point shooting. What's even more commendable is that his good body, which can't be squeezed by Thibodeau, is about to become the armor of the Thunder team's interior line.
With Harden in hand-to-hand combat with the opposing center, another long-term man, Chet, will be able to play his excellent defensive ability, and the Thunder's defensive strength in the restricted area will be taken to the next level, and opponents will feel this suffocation when attacking the basket with the ball in the new season. Combined with the excellent individual defense ability of Alexander, Dort, and Caruso, the Thunder's defense is comparable to that of the Celtics, and they have a great chance to become the league's No. 1 steal team; For teams that like to play pass-and-cut tactics, such as the Warriors, Nuggets, etc., the Thunder's defense will be a nightmare.
Now, the configuration of the Thunder team has been improved again:
With two top-tier ball-handling single-handlers in the roster, and their ability to shoot the ball, the team doesn't need to bring in another professional No. 1 player. And in the shooter, there are also good players, Isaiah Joe and others are all trustworthy teammates; There are also two long-term players on the inside, Chet and Harden, which are enough to solve last season's problems.
So will the Thunder become invulnerable? If you have to pick a bone from the egg, that is, the height of the outer flank is not tall enough, and the flank is missing more than two meters; And there is still a lack of a substitute on the inside to reduce the risk of injury to the two center forwards, Chet and Harden.