Now that preseason is officially over[note]Thank Neptune[/note] and the regular season is just around the corner[note]or it’s already happened, hello to the people in the future![/note]. The Mavericks seem to be sputtering into the season but don’t forget the additions and upgrades this team made over the offseason. Some of them may seem like lateral moves but there is at least some young promising talent on this roster which is more than could have been said in past iterations of the Dallas Mavericks.

 

As this season flies in for a landing a with all of its 2460 game[note]It’s a secret goal of mine to some year watch Every. Single. Game. Don’t tell my wife[/note] glory it may seem almost impossible to get a handle who the real contenders are and who is just piling empty wins. The 90% Club Rankings are a way to try and understand who has Postseason and Finals potential.[note]Hopefully the Mavericks have some of that potential or these rankings could get really sad and dark really quick…[/note] Simply stated the 90% Club is a measure of Offensive and Defensive Rating (Off/Def Rating) and the fact that:

 

90% of the last twenty NBA Champions were ranked in the top 12 in both Offensive and Defensive Ratings.

 

A full introduction of what the Off/Def Ratings are, what the 90% Club Rankings are, a list of the past 20 NBA Champions with their Off/Def Ratings, and how we’ll track them can be found here.

 

The preseason doesn’t mean very much in the grand scheme of things (the Kings were 5-1 last season) but here are the Top 12 Off/Def Ratings and the 90% Club Rankings for the 2016-17 NBA Preseason:

 

 

 

 

90% Club Power Rankings

 

 

1. Warriors | Off: 2^nd | Def: 4^th(t)

 

Curry, Durant, Klay, Dray, Igoudala. Be afraid. Bogut and Barnes have to return back to the Bay twice this season to face their old team, the Mavericks as a whole have to face them twice, meaning MFFLs only get to witness the Warriors once in AAC.[note]It may not be a pretty sight, bring umbrellas[/note] The Warriors are poised to have one of the best offenses in League history even if their rotation seems lean after the top six.[note]Leaving out Zaza because we all witnessed what happened last season[/note]

 

 

2. Wizards | Off: 8^th | Def: 11^th

 

This came as a surprise but the Almost Bullets did have the honor of playing the 76ers twice this preseason. When 30% of your opposition is arguably the worst at whatever you’re doing, odds are you’ll come out looking better than you are… The Wizards are an enigma as far as projections for this season because their big free agent signing can’t stay on the court, which sounds familiar…

 

 

3. Grizzlies | Off: 11^th | Def: 8^th

 

During Free Agency as soon as it became known that Harrison Barnes and Chandler Parsons signed the exact same contract the comparisons began. Prepare your heart[note]For some people that’s a literal situation, RIP The Beautiful One in Dallas[/note] for a few games where Parsons scores 30 points and hits five threes in a game, it’ll happen. The Grizzlies are going to look drastically different than they have in the past. Z-Bo is now coming off the bench[note]Also, he low-key shot 5-17 from three in the preseason, I mean, that’s not good but Z-Bo is shooting threes![/note] and the threes are flying.[note]They took ten more threes (44) than the Rockets (34) in their matchup earlier this preseason[/note]

 

 

4. Celtics | Off: 12^th | Def: 7^th

 

Landing the biggest free agent not named Durant should bode well for this squad as President Stevens coaches them up in a similar way as Coach Carlisle does for the Mavericks. Stevens elevates the play of seemingly average players, Horford is probably the best player he’s ever coached so this team should take a least somewhat of a step forward.

 

 

5. Heat | Off: 7^th | Def: 12^th

 

Lebron went home. Wade went home. Bosh is stuck at home. [note]Not five… Not six[/note]Not seven years went by and the entire Big Three is off the Heat’s roster. The keys to Wade’s house, Lebron’s Kingdom, and Bosh’s pit[note]Those are real things said at the Heat’s Welcome Party six years ago[/note] now belong to a Dragon, a $100 million Center who has played less than two seasons of NBA games, and Justise.[note]I am Batman, justice will be served[/note] Replacing legends isn’t easy just ask…

 

 

NR: Mavericks | Off: 26^th | Def: 27^th

 

Dirk is still “dirking it[note]This is also a real thing the Mavs Promotional Team is promoting at Mavs games this year[/note]” in Dallas for at least this season, after that he’ll take it “year by year.” While it may seem like this team is in a holding pattern until Dirk there’s a lot to be excited about with this Mavericks team.

 

Harrison Barnes[note]Say what you want about his shooting, just don’t ask Carlisle… yikes[/note], Dwight Powell, and Justin Anderson[note]Can we throw Brussino on this list yet?[/note] are young foundational pieces. Seth Curry is a wildcard with great upside. Andrew Bogut and Wes Matthews are above average players for their positions. Deron Williams, JJ Barea, and Devin Harris are solid NBA Veteran players with a ton of experience. Coach Carlisle is the second best coach in the NBA. Quincy Acy, Salah Mejri, and Nicolas Brussino all have distinct translatable skills in the NBA and Hammons and Dorian Finney-Smith are young players with potential at crucial positions in the League.

 

All that to say, their preseason rankings don’t look good but come back off the ledge MFFLs, this team is solid and poised to make another run at the playoffs. The ending may be inevitable[note]Unless a bunch of things happen[/note] but[note]BUT THEY ALSO SAID THAT IN 2011 ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN…ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN…OH OH OH OOOH OH[/note] the journey there will be incredible and fun to watch.

 

Keep checking back on MavsFanatic.com as we track the 90% Club throughout the season.