Dallas Mavericks
2017-18What were the Dallas Mavericks in 2017-18, and what needed front-office attention?
DAL 2017-18: the clearest roster problems were Rim protection, Defensive event creation, Rim pressure. No supported strength was identified. The main rotation-player dependency cases were Dwight Powell, Harrison Barnes, Dennis Smith Jr., Dirk Nowitzki, Yogi Ferrell. Structural basketball need, injuries, replacement lineups, and financial constraints are reported separately.
What can be trusted
Supported strengths — production, who carries it, and what money is already committed.No supported team strengths for this season — team picture available; recent availability layer unavailable.
What needs attention
The clearest roster problems the evidence supports.Full reading
DAL 2017-18 Rim protection: this was a real roster weakness; production ranked at the 0.0 league percentile. Dirk Nowitzki supplied 28.0% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The cap allocation to this structural need was comparatively low.
Full reading
DAL 2017-18 Defensive event creation: this was a real roster weakness; production ranked at the 14.8 league percentile. Dwight Powell supplied 28.0% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The cap allocation to this structural need was comparatively low.
Full reading
DAL 2017-18 Rim pressure: this was a real roster weakness; production ranked at the 18.5 league percentile. Harrison Barnes supplied 32.9% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The cap allocation to this structural need was comparatively low.
Every covered basketball function (11)
| Function | Reading | League percentile | Largest contributor | Recent availability | Salary commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creation | SupportedMiddle of the league | 56th percentile | Dennis Smith Jr. · 26.8% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Defensive event creation | SupportedStructural team problem | 15th percentile | Dwight Powell · 28.0% | No recent availability layer for this season | Underfunded structural need |
| Interior finishing | SupportedMiddle of the league | 33rd percentile | Harrison Barnes · 26.3% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Passing connectivity | SupportedMiddle of the league | 67th percentile | Dennis Smith Jr. · 25.2% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Point-of-attack defense proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Aaron Harrison | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Rebounding | SupportedMiddle of the league | 30th percentile | Dirk Nowitzki · 19.3% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Rim pressure | SupportedStructural team problem | 19th percentile | Harrison Barnes · 32.9% | No recent availability layer for this season | Underfunded structural need |
| Rim protection | SupportedStructural team problem | 0th percentile | Dirk Nowitzki · 28.0% | No recent availability layer for this season | Underfunded structural need |
| Screening | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Aaron Harrison | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Shooting and spacing | SupportedMiddle of the league | 59th percentile | Dirk Nowitzki · 27.3% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Switch coverage proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Aaron Harrison | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
Who the team depends on
What disappears when a player is removed — and whether an observed replacement five exists.
DAL was highly dependent on Dwight Powell. Removing him cost about 28.0% of event creation production, and lineups with him performed 5.9 points per 100 possessions better than lineups without him. The best supported replacement group was [Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes, Salah Mejri, Yogi Ferrell, Dennis Smith Jr.] over 321 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Wesley Matthews · Harrison Barnes · Salah Mejri · Yogi Ferrell · Dennis Smith Jr.
shrunk net -1.102 over 321 possessions
on floor 2,948 possessions · off floor 4,042 possessions
DAL did not have strong functional backup for Harrison Barnes in interior finish; removing him cost about 26.3% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was Dwight Powell.
Replacement evidence
Dirk Nowitzki · Devin Harris · J.J. Barea · Dwight Powell · Yogi Ferrell
shrunk net 10.143 over 404 possessions
on floor 4,625 possessions · off floor 2,366 possessions
DAL did not have strong functional backup for Dennis Smith Jr. in creation; removing him cost about 26.8% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was Wesley Matthews.
Replacement evidence
Dirk Nowitzki · Devin Harris · J.J. Barea · Dwight Powell · Yogi Ferrell
shrunk net 10.143 over 404 possessions
on floor 3,686 possessions · off floor 3,305 possessions
DAL did not have strong functional backup for Dirk Nowitzki in shooting; removing him cost about 27.3% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was Wesley Matthews.
Replacement evidence
Wesley Matthews · Harrison Barnes · Dwight Powell · Yogi Ferrell · Dennis Smith Jr.
shrunk net 4.739 over 213 possessions — small sample
on floor 3,455 possessions · off floor 3,536 possessions
DAL lineups performed 7.1 points per 100 possessions better with Yogi Ferrell than without him. The best supported alternative was [Dirk Nowitzki, Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes, Dennis Smith Jr., Maxi Kleber] over 508 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Dirk Nowitzki · Wesley Matthews · Harrison Barnes · Dennis Smith Jr. · Maxi Kleber
shrunk net -7.637 over 508 possessions
on floor 3,974 possessions · off floor 3,017 possessions
Function loss, lineup performance, and replacement-lineup evidence remain separate; none is causal player value.
What injuries change
Recent absences and the basketball needs they created or worsened.No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season.
Where money is tied up
Cap position and salary allocation — shown beside the basketball picture, never blended into it.Most salary is mapped to interior finishing; the highest-need area is defensive event creation. Salary-to-function mapping covers 92% of charges.
Exact figures
Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence.
What the evidence cannot answer
Deliberate abstentions — where the database refuses a conclusion rather than guessing.- Point-of-attack defense proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Screening: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Switch coverage proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
Exact transaction legality: Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence
Team-season situation report. Structural basketball quality, recent availability, player dependence, replacement lineups, and financial position remain separate. No acquisition recommendation, transaction grade, coaching grade, outcome claim, or causal value is inferred.