National Basketball Association

Dallas Mavericks: 3 Things to Watch vs. Charlotte

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Oct 1, 2016; Bossier City, LA, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry (30) reacts to a made 3-point basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at CenturyLink Center. New Orleans won 116-102. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Mavericks host the Charlotte Hornets in their preseason opener on Monday night. Here are three things to watch for.

After an eventful offseason, the re-tooled Dallas Mavericks have set their sights on the playoffs once again in one of Dirk Nowitzki‘s last few years in the league.

Dallas began their journey in Bossier City, Louisiana on Saturday as the Mavericks lost to the New Orleans Pelicans after many of their veterans took the night off. Justin Anderson led the way for the young Mavs as Nicolas Brussino followed behind.

For Dallas, a lot of the main spots in the rotation are set going into the season. It’s the backend of the roster that has the coaching staff up at night as they figure out who should round out the roster.

With Head Coach Rick Carlisle saying that seven players are fighting for two roster spots, the preseason gives Dallas a chance to give these young guys heavy minutes to show they are worthy of a roster spot.

Dirk Nowitzki, Deron Williams, Salah Mejri, Andrew Bogut, Wesley Matthews, and Devin Harris all didn’t play on Saturday against the Pelicans. I would expect most, if not all, of these guys to sit out on Monday night against the Hornets.

With that being said, here are three things to watch for on Monday night.

Sep 26, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dwight Powell (7) poses for a photo during Media Day at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Dwight Powell at Center

This past week at training camp, Carlisle has been pretty vocal about trying Dwight Powell out at center this year as the big man could be the “prototypical” center in this new era of small ball.

Having played mostly power forward last year, Powell spent the offseason putting on over 15 pounds as he bulked up enough to play both positions. Now the youngster needs to focus on getting a consistent jump shot and he could find a quality role in the rotation.

With Bogut and Mejri probably not playing on Monday night, Powell will get another extended look at center where he could show the coaching staff that he is worthy of the minutes.

If Powell does succeed this preseason at center, it will be interesting to see how him and Mejri split minutes come the regular season.

Sep 26, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith (10) poses for a photo during Media Day at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Nicolas Brussino vs. Dorian Finney-Smith

Counting A.J. Hammons as a roster lock, the Dallas Mavericks have seven partial guaranteed players fighting for those coveted last two roster spots.

At the small forward position, arguably the weakest depth wise on the roster, the Mavs have Brussino and Finney-Smith both battling for what could be one of those last roster spots. If Dallas does go the route of adding another bigger wing, I would assume they would add just one of them, thus making it a nice little battle in camp.

The shy and reserved Brussino has one thing down for sure, and that is his sweet shooting stroke as I personally watched the kid drain 21/25 from behind the arc in training camp last week. Finney-Smith, on the other hand, gives the Mavs a versatile player on both ends of the court.

Both players should get major minutes on Monday night as they try to show off their strengths and prove they are worthy of a roster spot.

Sep 26, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Justin Anderson (1) poses for a photo during Media Day at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Anderson’s Continued Rise

I say this with complete confidence, but there isn’t a player in Dallas I am more excited about watching this coming season than Justin Anderson.

The kid has come into camp this past week locked and loaded to make the next step in his career. His outside shot looks to be in mid-season form, he continues to work on his improved ball handling, and he is just as vocal as any other leader on the team.

Although everyone credits the Harrison Barnes addition for the flexibility to go small, it’s the improvement of Justin Anderson that makes everyone excited about that lineup.

On Monday night, we should see Anderson in a highlighted role where he can display his improved offensive game and elite athleticism. The Mavericks have a youngster to be excited about and he is what I’m watching the most on Monday night.