Over five years removed from their sole NBA Championship, the Mavericks (0-0) will enter the new season with a couple of new faces as their aging core hopes to remain in the postseason conversation. After finishing in seventh place in the Western Conference last year, Dallas retained the services of Harrison Barnes from the Golden State Warriors, who will be eager to show that he’s worth the 4-year, $94 million max deal that he was given back in July. Barnes stands to have his most productive season yet now that he isn’t surrounded by the most prolific shooters in the NBA. He averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 boards and 1.5 assists in his four years with the Dubs. Perhaps even more important for the Mavs is the health of 31-year-old center Andrew Bogut, who exited the Playoffs last June with bone bruises in his left knee. Stalwart Dirk Nowitzki begins his 19th season with the club, and although his points output has predictably waned in recent years (averaging 18.3 points last season), he can still contribute off the glass (posting 6.5 defensive rebounds per night in 2015-16). The team will spend the weekend in back-to-back contest with division rivals the Houston Rockets.
The Pacers (0-0) finished last season as one of the surprising success stories of the postseason, pushing the second seed Toronto Raptors to seven games in the first round of the Playoffs. A large component of their success was the remarkable comeback of Paul George following his horrific broken leg suffered in summer of 2014. George bounced back with the best year of his All-Star career, posting an average of 23.1 points, 7 rebounds and 4.1 dimes per outing. George will once again be the focus of Indiana’s offense, one that promises to make the team one of a select few in the conference that could potentially draw close to the Cleveland Cavaliers if healthy. Sophomore Myles Turner is generating a good deal of excitement for Indiana faithful after delivering a promising 10.3 points and 5.5 rebounds through 60 games played last season. The team will play their season opener under the guided eye of new head coach Nate McMillan.
