Roundtable: Early Mavericks overreactions and concerns through 7 games

With October nearly in the books, we have 7 games to reflect upon. Which thing or things are you wildly overreacting to? Is there anything you’re ignoring but are secretly worried or hyped about?

John Howe: I am wildly overreacting to every single Wes Matthews post up or errant floater. I don’t understand why he is every in a pick and roll, or DHO situation when we have DSJ and Luka and Barea and........I trust in Rick Carlisle so part of me thinks I must be missing something. But until I figure out what that something is I Lose my mind every time it happens.

Also overreacting to every Luka step back. They’re so silky smooth.

Ian Miller: I feel like just about everything is a wild overreaction at this point, but I am curious to see if the Mavs’ suddenly much more modern NBA offense is real or something that will slide back into “more of the same” once Harrison Barnes and Dirk Nowitzki -- two not-great dribblers who love to take mid-range jumpers -- return and get their bearings. It would be a shame if this wild overreaction, because it’s been great, and a great sign for a future that will hopefully largely feature Luka Doncic

I’m ignoring it for now but I admit I’m secretly(is it a secret if I’m typing it out?) worried about Dennis Smith Jr’s continued struggle with drawing fouls. It’s still very early for a 20 year old less than 10 games into his sophomore season, but I fear it’s going to be a really difficult path to delivering on his star talent if he can’t consistently leverage his best trait -- his speed and explosiveness -- into trips to the free throw line. He’ll have games where he’s hitting the outside shot, like Sunday against Utah, but that seems like a less likely recipe for success for him game in/game out.

Sam Guertler: I’m certainly overreacting to every Mavericks loss in the early stages of the season. I let myself get swept up in the hype of Luka Doncic and the acquisition of DeAndre Jordan. The idea that the Mavericks could just flip a switch became a little too easy to believe. The fact of the matter is the Mavericks are finally building something that takes time. The losses will continue to happen, but as long as Dennis Smith Jr. Luka Doncic are continuing to develop, that’s what matters.

Speaking of Doncic, it seems impossible to say this, but I’m under-reacting to how good he’s been so far. Per Bobby Karalla, through seven games he’s the only player ever to average 20/6.4/4 before turning 21. Last night Doncic became the third youngest player behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant to score at least 30 and pull down eight rebounds. He’s had a magnificent start to his career, and it’s only a matter of time before Rick Carlisle unleashes him as the focal point of the offense.

Kirk Henderson: I... am not handling the losses well. But that’s because the structure of a good team is right there they just need to execute!

The thing I’m fairly worried about is Luka Doncic’s turnovers. He’s been sloppy past the point of excuses. I’d like to see him handle the ball more but if we’re looking at stats, it’s probably hard for the coaching staff to want to consider that when the results point to turnovers.