Projected Mavericks depth chart and rotation entering the regular season

The Dallas Mavericks, fresh off a thrilling Finals run that ultimately led to a runner-up finish for the NBA championship, are coming into the 2024-25 season with expectations through the roof.

After hitting all the right buttons at last year's trade deadline with the acquisitions of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford, the Mavs went on a tear to end the regular season and could not be stopped until they met the buzzsaw that was the champion Boston Celtics. But they did not rest on their laurels after a fantastic season and were active in tweaking some of the ancillary pieces around their core.

With the imminent departure of Derrick Jones Jr. in free agency, one could argue they actually improved their wing depth by acquiring Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes and Naji Marshall. Each brings their own combination of one or both of the most important skills a wing needs: shooting and defense. That being the case, all three look to be big parts of Jason Kidd's rotation this year.

With the core of the team returning for another run, the Mavericks have a quality cast of stars and role players alike. Here's what their roster looks like heading into the 2024-25 campaign.

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Mavericks projected depth chart for 2024-25

The Mavericks also have three two-way contract slots filled with Kessler Edwards, Jazian Gortman and Brandon Williams. Obviously, they're unlikely (and unable) to get into too many games, but Edwards in particular has shown some real defensive prowess so far in his young career.

The quartet of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, PJ Washington and Dereck Lively II should be very familiar to NBA fans as major parts of the core composition that took this team to 50 wins and a Finals berth last season. In fact, these four on the court scored a whopping 124.0 points per 100 possessions after the deadline last regular season and blitzed their opponents for a plus-19.3 differential in the playoffs, per Cleaning the Glass. With this demonstrated proficiency, expect to see this combination starting games and playing plenty of minutes this season.

The new wrinkle to the starting lineup is Warriors legend Klay Thompson, who was acquired in a sign-and-trade this offseason to provide the high-level shooting that the team was looking for in the Finals. It would seem that a starting spot was negotiated in the signing, so it looks like that's the way the Mavs will be starting the season. Thompson is still one of the elite shooters in the game and will give Luka a prolific target unlike any he has had in his career. Can he be the piece that puts them over the top?

The interesting piece here is on the defensive end of the floor. Thompson is just not what he used to be on that end, while Doncic and Irving are guys you don't really want to task with navigating pick-and-roll after pick-and-roll all game. Though they have shown improved effort occasionally (Irving especially), this is a lot to put on them physically and the team needs them to be initiating offense at a high level. This leaves the point-of-attack defense options a bit limited with this lineup.

It will be fascinating to see how Coach Kidd navigates this issue. He has Marshall and Grimes at his disposal, both of whom have shown to be much more effective defenders on the perimeter than the starters. Will we end up with Thompson or Washington on the bench in favor of one of them to close games? Will the starting lineup end up needing to change at any point? Or will Kidd's defensive system and their brilliant offensive talent be able to keep them near the top of the league as is?

The Mavs will again be able to run 48 minutes of great center play with Lively II and Gafford manning the middle, rolling to the rim on offense and stifling drivers on the other end. At just 20 years old to start the season, Lively II also has immense room for growth, so who knows how great he can be as the season rolls along. Along with the historically great offensive backcourt, this center rotation figures to be one of the team's biggest strengths once again.

With Dante Exum out to start the season, Spencer Dinwiddie looks like he'll have a chance to prove he's still got what it takes to be a rotation player in the NBA. If he can't, it could be one last opportunity for Jaden Hardy to get minutes before heading to free agency. Alternatively, it could just lead to even more structured staggering of Doncic and Irving to ensure at least one is on the court as much as possible.

Once the stakes are raised and the score is tight, it would seem that the five starters plus Marshall, Grimes and Gafford will take the lion's share of the minutes, with Exum and/or Maxi Kleber offering spot minutes to facilitate rest or to capitalize on a favorable matchup. The offensive potency of their starters and the defensive versatility of their reserves should offer them lots of options to find the right combination.

At the end of the bench, Prosper, Powell and Morris are unlikely to see much action unless to fill in for injury. Also, if Hardy is unable to crack the rotation by the trade deadline, he could become a potential trade candidate in a minor deal.

The Mavericks are loaded up and as ready to make a run as they've ever been since the arrival of Luka Doncic. There are a few concerns about their point-of-attack defense, but Coach Kidd has had them punching above their weight on defense for years and the backline help will go a long way in covering for deficiencies. Barring injury, expect this team to be challenging for the Western Conference crown yet again this season.