After watching the Clippers completely dismantle the Mavericks in the second half today they showed they are
not ready to make a deep playoff run. It has been enticing to see the consistency of Kristaps Porzingis proving he can serve as a sidekick to Luka Doncic but the team lacks a consistent scoring option beyond those two and the Clippers exposed that in the second half of today’s game. Let’s keep in mind the Clippers were missing both Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley two of their key rotation pieces and Kawhi Leonard made them look like a G-League team in the last quarter of play along with Paul George. Assuming the Mavericks and Clippers link in the playoffs they will be lucky to win more than 1 game in a 7 game series then again expecting this Mavericks team to go beyond the 1st round would be a massive over achievement.
The Dallas Mavericks need a shot-maker who can create his own shot off the dribble and compliment Luka Doncic’s skill-set and that is where Gordon Hayward who has a player option for the last year of his contract and would be the perfect acquisition as he would serve as a reliable 2nd or 3rd option behind Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Gordon Hayward is what I call an all-around player as he has a very similar skill-set to Luka Doncic being able to pass from all over the floor and shoot from the perimeter. Gordon Hayward can also play off the ball and would be a reliable kick-out option for Luka Doncic on drives to the rim and cuts to the basket for lay-ins. Kristaps Porzingis I believe would be better suited to be more of a rim protector instead of a second option behind Luka Doncic due to his below average ball handling ability and he just isn’t a pure enough shooter to keep the floor spaced for Luka Doncic. For all I know Gordon Hayward remains a Boston Celtic as the Celtics have a dynamic duo evolving right before our eyes in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum aided by off-season acquisition Kemba Walker who has dealt with injuries this season but could have a huge bounce back year next season.
Gordon Hayward is being payed a whopping $31 million dollars and the chances of him getting that kind of money elsewhere are highly doubtful so he more than likely opts in to the last year of his contract and tests out free-agency next summer but if Mark Cuban wants this Mavericks’s team to compete for a title next season he must put the necessary pieces around Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis to make a title run possible. There is only 1 ball and the Celtics have enough ball handlers to compensate for Gordon Hayward, do we forget they almost made the Finals the 2017-2018 season behind a baby Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. I believe they’ll be just fine with the development of Brown and Tatum and a healthy Kemba next season, the Celtics must work on developing their young players to develop a respectable bench or use Gordon Hayward to trade for one.
To conclude Gordon Hayward has been able to average 17 points per game in a wing heavy lineup and could shoulder a heavier load at the age of 30. He’s no longer the franchise player he once was on the Utah Jazz leading them to over 50 wins but can he not step into the Mavericks and serve as a second option behind Luka Doncic? Absolutely, like i said Kristaps Porzingis does not convince me as second option on a championship team Gordon Hayward does since he an all-around scorer with a high basketball IQ who can help Luka Doncic carry the Mavericks’s offense and allow for Porzingis to play with less pressure on the offensive end and focus on becoming more of a defensive anchor instead. Gordon Hayward can score off cuts to the rim for lay-ins,he can create plays for others,he can space out the floor with his shooting, and he’s an exceptional rebounder. It’s a match made in heaven in my opinion, give me your thoughts till next time.
D-NBA 