The Mavericks' 2022-23 season hasn't gone anywhere near what was expected of a team coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance.
There are several reasons why the team has fallen short of those expectations, but one was brought to the forefront by Mavs' All-Star point guard Luka Doncic during Tuesday's post-practice session with the media.
After answering a question about the team's chemistry last season, Doncic was asked if this year's team misses Jalen Brunson, who was one of Doncic's closest friends in the locker room before Brunson left for the Knicks in the offseason.
“A lot,” Doncic said with a pained grin on his face after telling the media that he won't quit on the season as long as the team still has a shot at making the play-in tournament. “I mean, amazing guy, amazing player. For sure.”
When pressed about the team's chemistry and whether or not they are a confident group when they head into games, Doncic said: "No, not right now."
watch Doncic's media session in the video above
He added: "I think you don’t see that chemistry that we had before. I mean, especially last year. I think that chemistry was at the top with everybody, but you know, chemistry builds and not right away, so it’s a long process."
Brunson was a key figure in the Mavs' turnaround last season after Covid-19 ran rampant throughout the locker room, forcing players to miss significant time early in the season. After starting the season 16-18, Dallas rebounded and went 36-12 to finish the regular season with 50 wins.
And when Luka Doncic was forced to miss the start of the Mavs' first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz last season with a calf injury, it was Brunson who led the team to a surprising 2-1 series lead in the superstar's absence.
Dallas could have signed Brunson to a four-year, $55.5 million contract before the 2022 season, but the organization opted not to offer him a deal after he struggled in the team's 2021 first-round playoff series loss to the Clippers in 2021.
Brunson is now flourishing in New York, averaging 24 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists for a Knicks team that is 46-33 and has already clinched a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Mavs find themselves on the outside looking in at the final spot in the play-in tournament.
For his part, Brunson couldn't explain how his former team has gone in freefall mode since Dallas acquired Kyrie Irving in a February trade that sent Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie to Brooklyn.
"I am surprised. I honestly have no comment about that, but it's definitely surprising," Brunson coincidentally said Tuesday.