The best Dallas Mavericks of the 2010s

We’re past the peak of summer and in the doldrums of the NBA offseason. There’s no better time to look at the history of the Dallas Mavericks and reminisce. This is the time to argue and debate the history of the franchise.

With that in mind, here is the All-Mavericks team of the 2010s. Here are the rules: I only counted the players’ statistics and achievements while they played for the Mavericks. Longevity mattered, but so did what they accomplished while playing for Dallas.

For instance, what was more influential—Monta Ellis’ two electric years with the Mavericks, or Devin Harris’ steady hand over parts of six seasons? In the end I decided neither, and went with someone who fell somewhere in between.

I kept the team similar to an actual All-NBA lineup—two guards, two forwards, and one center. I also added a Sixth Man because, well, it’s my post and I can do what I want. Drop your best five of the 2010s in the comments below. Here we go:

Guard: J.J. Barea

Besides Dirk Nowitzki, Barea was the steadying force for the Mavericks in the 2010s. The only guard to play more games for the Mavericks was Harris. Only Nowitzki scored more points for Dallas than Barea in the 2010s. Barea averaged 10.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game in the 2010s. He only turned the ball over 1.5 times per game in that span. Barea was also a crucial part of the 2011 championship team. For that, and his longevity, Barea gets the nod over guys like Harris, Ellis, and Jason Terry.

Guard: Vince Carter

The second guard spot was a bit tougher to decide. As mentioned above, I thought about Ellis’ two years in Dallas where he burned incandescent as a scorer. But it seemed to short a time, and not very memorable. I also considered Harris always being a fixture in his second stint with the Mavericks, never incredible but always reliable. There was also Wesley Matthews, who fit somewhere in the middle of those two on the spectrum.

But I eventually fell on Carter, whose per game averages are just as good or better than Harris and Matthews, and whose longevity outdid Ellis by a season. Carter also hit one of the biggest shots in Mavericks’ playoff history during the 2010s. Carter, Ellis, Harris, and Matthews are all very similar in their statistical contributions throughout the decade, but I can’t tell the story of the Mavericks in the 2010s without mentioning Carter, so he gets the nod here.

Forward: Dirk Nowitzki

There’s no explanation necessary here. The 2010s were the twilight of Nowitzki’s career, but he was still one of the best players the Mavericks fielded in the decade. From 2010-11 to 2018-19, Nowitzki played in 602 games, scored 10,449 points, grabbed 3,687 rebounds, and dished out 1,186 assists. Those are all the most of any Mavericks player in the 2010s. Nowitzki averaged 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2 assists per game during the decade. He also was Finals MVP for the Mavericks’ only championship team in franchise history. Nowitzki remains the face of the Dallas Mavericks for good reason.

Forward: Shawn Marion

The second forward spot was another crowded selection. Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber seem like good selections, but their early years with the Mavericks were very productive. But Marion almost scored more points (3,272) than Finney-Smith and Kleber combined (3,302) in the 2010s. Marion also collected more rebounds than any other Maverick in that span other than Nowitzki.

The only other player who might have challenged for this spot was Harrison Barnes, who scored more points (3,836) than Marion in 81 fewer games. But Marion helped the Mavericks win their only championship, and outshines Barnes in every other statistical category, so he gets the last forward spot.

Center: Dwight Powell

This was one of the toughest calls, especially since the Mavericks haven’t had the best luck with big men in the last decade. It essentially came down to Tyson Chandler and Powell, who initially came to the Mavericks as a forward but was listed as a center for four of his seasons in the 2010s.

Chandler easily eclipses Powell statistically on a per game basis. Chandler averaged 10.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game with the Mavericks, while Powell averaged 7.4 and 4.6 per game in the 2010s. Chandler was also the anchor of the defense on the Mavericks’ only championship team.

But Powell has been with the team longer and therefore more productive in totality. He played in more than twice as many games as Chandler, scored almost twice as many points, and collected almost two hundred more rebounds. I wish Chandler had spent a larger chunk of his career with the Mavericks so I could put him in this spot. But his time with Dallas was too short, and the second season less impactful due to team success.

Sixth Man: Harrison Barnes

The Mavericks didn’t experience much success in the standings during Barnes’ tenure with Dallas, but he was about as productive as you could want on the offensive end. Barnes scored 3,836 points and grabbed 1,069 rebounds. He was weak on the playmaking end, however, as he only dished out 330 assists in two and a half seasons with Dallas. That’s not great. Ellis, every bit the scorer that Barnes was, dished out 800 in just two seasons with the Mavericks. But Barnes was still valuable enough to earn his spot here as Sixth Man.

Barnes—205 games, 3836 points, 1069 rebounds, 330 assists,