Dallas Mavericks: Five things we learned about the Mavericks during their less than stellar debut

Five quick thoughts on Mavs being crushed in Phoenix:

1.) Overnight, the Mavs resembled the repeated line of analyst Fran Franschilla on foreign players. They looked to be in two years.

Losing 121-100 in favor of the team that had the worst record of the NBA last season was not as damaging. Or surprising. Phoenix will be much better this season, and not only because the first pick of the general, DeAndre Ayton (18 points, 10 rebounds., 6 assists), is in town. Trevor Ariza is a key addition to the Rockets. Devin Booker (35 points) could argue the head of the NBA, at least if he plays quite often in Dallas.

Dallas was 9-32 on the road last season. It's life in the Western Conference.

2.) The Mavericks were without their best scorer in the last two years (Harrison Barnes) and their leading scorer before the dinosaurs (Dirk Nowitzki). This meant that a team that lacked real depth was in any case challenged. It's hard to drop 35 points and not miss it.

Dallas will not win many games with 43% of the vote and 30% of the three points.

3.) If fans are disappointed with Luka Doncic's overall numbers – 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists – it gives them at least a glimpse of what he's likely to become. Doncic seems at ease in a fast game and on the open floor. With or without basketball, he will find a way to help this team.

Two early mistakes made him hesitate on the defense, which will not be a strength, anyway. He will have much bigger nights and soon enough.

Each recruit does not enlighten him at the beginning. Marvin Bagley (Duke) of Sacramento earned six points and five rebounds. Kevin Knox (Kentucky), the Knicks star in the summer championship, scored 10 goals in four out of 16 shots.

4.) DeAndre Jordan can not protect everyone. It was a bit like when Dallas brought Tyson Chandler a second time to help the defense. Jordan can defend the rim, but he can not stop and stop all the shooters in the perimeter. Booker scoring like crazy was not his problem.

Jordan did not stop the Mavs from being beaten on the boards. They simply were not destroyed on the boards, losing the battle 44-38. Jordan (12) and Doncic combined 20 rebounds against 18 for the rest of the team.

5.) Yogi Ferrell will miss the Mavericks. I do not want to exaggerate and say it's a devastating defeat, but it's a really nice player to have left the bench. He started and played a good 30 minutes for Sacramento last night. Devin Harris, who entered the league 12 years before Ferrell, does not have exactly the merit of saying that the cool legs would be less troublesome for the second unit if Yogi was still there.