The Dallas Mavericks have been playing their best basketball of the season in recent weeks. They went on a winning streak, including a big win over the Phoenix Suns in their return game from the All-Star break, but stumbled early in their Eastern Conference road trip. Despite dramatic losses to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday and the Cleveland Cavaliers the night before, the Mavericks' potential is clear. That's also why it's Jason Kidd's biggest opportunity. But it wasn't that long ago.
December and January, the slowest months of the NBA season, were a winter of frustration for the Mavericks. After a four-game winning streak in early December, the Mavericks slumped, winning just 11 of their next 26 games before a winning streak in February. It wasn't just bad play, the Mavericks were battered by injuries to key players, both supports and stars. The most commonly used lineups before the trade deadline were groups that had not played 100 minutes together, but they did not match the minutes logged by most playoff-level teams. And the next most used lineup has only played 63 minutes together. That's what happened here, compounded by a lack of continuity.
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Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
But there are gaps on the roster, and thanks to some shrewd moves by Nico Harrison at the deadline and most of the rotation back to health, the Mavericks look much different. The additions of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford mean the team can play bigger, longer and more athletic in the frontcourt. The team is also playing faster. From October to January, the Mavericks had already vastly improved their pace of play from last season, ranking 10th in the league with 100.7 possessions per 48 minutes. In February, their possessions rose to 102.5, ranking them eighth in the league during that period. And while his defense is still often questionable, it has improved over the past four weeks, giving him a defensive rating of 111.3 (which ranks him ninth in the league).
The possibilities are there. With Dante Exum returning from injury on Wednesday night, Jason Kidd will be able to play two-deep in any position. He has the flexibility to mix and match bench weapons that can skew more offensive or defensive weight. And while rookie Derrick Lively II continues to prove he's a foundational big man, the Mavericks are currently offering Gafford either spot starting support or center field in small-ball situations. will rely on Maxi Clever.
They may not be a serious contender yet, but they have enough talent to be a thorny threat for most teams in a seven-game series. That alone is a significant improvement from his play over the winter. If that version of the Mavericks had stuck around, if Harrison hadn't made that move at the deadline, there would have been less opportunity and, frankly, less pressure on Jason Kidd. It would be easy to point out the lack of roster health and some key rotation spots. But those spots are filled and this team is playing in a way it hasn't been in a while. Regardless of how long this season lasts, health will likely be a key deciding factor, and the Western Conference is loaded with talent. But Kidd has the tools to prove the doubters wrong and seize the opportunity to lead this team back into the playoff picture.
