The Mavericks have some valuable strengths, which represent for them a successful path in the regular season and in the playoffs of the Orlando bubble. Yet they are seventh at the Western Conference for a few basic reasons, and it is important to recognize what they are as the seasons go back.
Trouble with the clutch
In one of the most incredible statistics of the 2019 season is that while the Dallas Mavericks boast the best offense in the history of the championship, they are also home to one of the worst offenses in friction times.
NBA.com has the Mavericks with an offensive score of 115.8 (different calculation than the Basketball Reference) on everything, but that number completely collapses to 93.9 in minutes of friction, which are defined as in the last five minutes of the game if the differential point is within five o’clock.
This in part has to do with their three shooting points. Over 50% of their engagement attempts are three, which is the maximum in the league, and they have hit only 22% of these attempts, the worst in the league.
This is to say the least. But it is also a small sample of minutes (128) distributed over 35 games, which is just under three minutes per game. The Mavericks understand that they have had moments when they hang around waiting for Luka Doncic to make things happen and correct them over the course of the year.
Depth
Of the opening day roster, only 11 players remain healthy and on Orlando’s roster start again. Injury to Dwight Powell, Jalen Brunson, Courtney Lee and Ryan Broekhoff’s cut for Willie Cauley-Stein (who gave up playing because of the birth of a child) leaves the Mavericks much thinner than they might wish.
Maverick appetizers are good and functional. But a bad problem or injury results in a Dallas team that is unable to document any problems. The team is more than the sum of the parts but those parts have no reliable back-ups beyond the top seven to eight players on the roster. Two G-League players, a guy who wasn’t on the team until recently, and an ex-lottery selection signed after the buy-outs that hit a basket during it’s time with the Mavericks.
Ideally, these latest commercials won’t matter as the Mavericks can hope to mow everyone on the road for a title. But it rarely works like this and it is a valid concern that the lack of depth may expose Dallas at the worst time.
Ball that stops the defense
At the time of the break, the Dallas Mavericks scored a defensive team score of 110.0, good for the 17th in the championship and only two tenths of a point from being exactly average in the league.
It’s not good enough, but the team has a reasonable plan to keep things functional on defense. With Kristaps Porzingis and Maxi Kleber playing a strong edge defense and Delon Wright and Dorian Finney-Smith acting as agents of chaos on that end of the floor, the Mavericks can cause problems for opposing teams.
What is missing is anyone on the roster who can be a ball hawk. It’s more difficult to do in today’s NBA, but Dallas has a full list of players who are defeated by a single dribble. Kleber is probably the best in this and spent a lot of time to protect the best Wing and the bulk of a team in the same game. It is a concern for Dallas, as Doncic, Finney-Smith and Justin Jackson are all great men, they are not able to stand in front of their man on the dribble.
Very small playoff experience
Neither Luka Doncic nor Kristaps Porzingis made the post NBA season. In fact, of the 17 Mavericks in Orlando (or scheduled in Orlando), only 8 boys have playoff experience. Of the active players available, only JJ Barea, Seth Curry and Delon Wright have more than 300 minutes in the post career season.
Considering that this is not a traditional playoff experience, one may wonder if this is important. Luka Doncic is an experienced professional who has won abroad in environments full of fans and under pressure. Porzingis tends to play the same way, regardless of what is going on around him, which can work both for and against him. The Mavericks seem ready, after saying the right things two weeks ago. But those worries all exist the same. It is precisely the embodiment of this video:
The Mavericks have been working on their first post-season post-Dirk Nowitzki since George HW Bush was in charge. There is a lot to be confident of, but concerns still exist. Check back later today to see what Dallas’s strengths are in restarting the regular eight-game season.
