Keldon Johnson can score in bunches, but his production can be somewhat one-dimensional at times. He needs to beef up his defensive acumen and work to leverage his scoring gravity to create for teammates.
A nutty defender with several award nominations in his future, Herb Jones entered the league as an impactful starting-caliber wing. Now he’s the defensive linchpin for a genuine contender. If you like deflections, you like Herb Jones.
Spencer Dinwiddie has settled nicely into his role as secondary playmaker and connective tissue for the Dallas offense. He’s still capable of impressive bouts of shot-making too, and is an important weapon late in games.
Still rock-solid in his ability to protect the rim and anchor a defense, Jakob Poeltl should be a hot commodity on the trade market for contenders in search of that extra push. He’s an efficient play finisher on offense too, but the god-awful free throw shooting can creep up in late-game situations.
He’s still broadly imperfect, but Kyle Kuzma’s blend of scoring versatility, rebounding, and solid defense at the four spot is undeniable at this point. He gets the job done, even if at times his overconfidence in his own ability holds him back.