That Luka Doncic It’s a generational talent, it’s as obvious as wet water. However, converting and translating their abilities into a winning team is not such an easy equation to solve. The Dallas Mavericks They have been trying different formulas for some time with mixed results. Of Dennis Smith Jr. to Kristaps Porzingis until you arrive Christian Wood, The Texans are still looking for the right complement and the right way to get the most out of the Slovenian star.
The last few months have not been easy for his administration mavs. His decision Jaylen Brunson not renewing with them and heading for New York left them in a complicated position and with no room for maneuver. By leaving without receiving a trade, the potential salary cap space he should have occupied was lost, and with it the potential to add talent via the market.
Dallas needs to improve its current rotation as soon as possible. Luka Doncic’s level could not be better given the circumstancesassuming close to 37% of the team’s offensive usage. A number that, if the season ended today, would be the 10th highest of all time. The former Real Madrid player will soon begin to feel the effects of this physical wear and tear, which will affect the performance of some already suffering Mavs.
Jason Kidd’s men must find a way to help Luka Doncic on the court, not only with more talent to relieve him of the offensive burden, but also in other aspects that improve the team. It’s time to search 3 keys Dallas Mavericks need to watch out for.
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More confident shooters
The best formula to take advantage of a talent of Luka Doncic’s caliber, whose game is maximized through a system that prioritizes the split and the double, is outside shooters. Accompanying the Slovenian with pieces capable of receiving and shooting from high latitudes at high rates makes for an efficient and quick attack.
The Dallas Mavericks, in a way, have elements that meet these objective requirements such as Tim Hardaway, Dorian Finney-Smith or Reggie Bullock. The problem is that no one of these throws over the 35% hit despite combining for 16.6 attempts per night.
If that wasn’t enough, those who are called upon to play this role are also called upon to contribute defensively and be very important as well. A function that, apart from Finney-Smith, none of the other two mentioned perform as expected.
What options does the Texas team have to surround Doncic with players to help him with that? A possibility would be Malik Beasley ($15 million), addressed to 42.2% in triples in receptionalthough it allows a 49% success on his opponents in defense. The Utah Jazz will soon begin looking at the trade market, and the young guard would be an interesting piece if they could find a way to balance salary and potential draft picks.
A four that moves Wood to five
Less than two months into the season was enough to verify the failure it turned out to be JaVale McGee. At 35, the veteran is not in a position to continue being a starter in a team with specific ambitions. His contribution in defense is nil and in attack as limited as ever. The mistake of signing McGee forced Jason Kidd back into the regular rotation Maxie Kleber and Dwight Powellgoing back to the classics and having the same problems of the past.
On the other hand, there is the matter of Christian Wood, a figure with enviable physical conditions that have not yet given him the appropriate role to enable them to reach their full potential. One way to accomplish this would be to move him to the five spot, which would force the Mavs to find a four to fill his role in the starting five.
Having Wood as the point guard inside would add much more dynamism to Dallas’ offense, opening up spaces for Doncic and putting opponents in his position in trouble by playing him more on the outside.
And what options are there on the market? Once again you must look to Salt Lake City because there is a Rudy Gay which could be extremely helpful to the Mavs interests. The veteran has been relegated in recent years to a role closer to that of the interior undersized, alternating the position of three, four and five. While he’s not a long-range specialist or has the defensive explosiveness of the past, he’s a proven veteran who would provide exactly what Dallas needs.
A backup point guard capable of scoring
The trio formed by Doncic, Dinwiddie and Brunson It was perfect because it allowed one of the three to always be on the bench resting or waiting for his moment. This explains how the Mavs were able to reach the Conference Finals last season. The latter’s departure destabilized the rotation and exposed Dallas’ problems in bringing Dinwiddie into the starting five with no natural replacement behind him. The second consequence of this was a significant increase in the Slovenian’s minutes, from 35 to 37 per game.
It’s fair to acknowledge that in the second unit, Jason Kidd’s men don’t have a backup point guard or secondary manager who can shoulder the responsibility of accompanying Doncic or Dinwiddie. Frank Dilikina he doesn’t have Kidd’s confidence to do so. Facundo Campazzo, waived Monday, Nov. 28, is very limited and hasn’t shown he can play a proper executioner role (32% on 3’s last season). Finally, Jaden Hardy has enough talent to fit in, but he’s still too green and lacks the experience for it.
Aside from the aforementioned Malik Beasley, who may also fit into this category, Will Burton of the Wizards or Kobe White of the Bulls, They would be figures with skills and salaries acceptable to the Mavs.
Yes, the decision to sign Kemba Walker as a free agent serves as a testament to the nervous state of the Dallas front office. A veteran and experienced point guard, yes, but whose physical and defensive issues almost outweigh the points he can put up in the second unit.
Dallas will have to wait until Dec. 15, the unofficial start date of the transfer window, to make any moves.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
