MIAMI — Having an electrifying offense that rises to the occasion has become the Dallas Mavericks' calling card when building around Luka Doncic. Their lack of defensive execution as a unit limited their ultimate potential. The Mavs made it past the first round for the first time with Doncic in the 2022-23 season and advanced to the Western Conference Finals with a versatile top-10 defense.
Filling the co-star void next to Doncic was clearly a priority after Jalen Brunson left for the New York Knicks. The Mavs accomplished that in a big way by trading Kyrie Irving and allowing the tandem to be patient enough to build an exceptional offense. What's next? Build at least an average defense.
April 5, 2024. Dallas, Texas, USA. Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) reacts during the game.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The Mavs have had a highly impactful defense since acquiring P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford in the trade, ranking seventh in defensive rating (110.5) since their Feb. 10 debut. There is. Both players add much-needed depth to the team while adding length and athleticism at their respective positions. Throughout the 48-minute effort, they are also better equipped to deal with injuries, as they won't be rested without Derek Lively II and Josh Green. Since those adjustments, Dallas has gone 15-2 with a league-best 106.3 defensive rating, which was the best in the NBA during that span.
“I think I can defend 1-5,” Doncic said. “We can switch and we can have Gafford and Lively there, so they help us.”
In that large sample, the Mavs played the worst defense in the NBA, starting with a four-game Eastern Conference road trip that included games against the Indiana Pacers (133 points allowed) and Boston Celtics (138 points allowed). There were some potentially useful parts. approved). Then the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers scored 120 points to narrowly defeat the Mavs in Dallas, and performed even worse defensively in a rematch with the Pacers, with Indiana scoring 137 points the second time. Over this six-game sample size, the Mavs' defensive rating of 127.3 not only ranked 30th, but also placed them last by a wide margin of 5.1.
One of the challenges compounded by the Mavs' poor defense is their inability to contain five-and-out offenses against teams with shooting centers like the Pacers with Myles Turner and the Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis. there were. After their second loss against the Pacers, Dallas changed their lineup by starting Derrick Jones Jr. and Gafford in place of Green and Lively. After the Celtics loss, Kidd pointed out that Maxi Kleber ended the game as Lively and Gafford struggled to defend the perimeter.
“Yeah, I understand they've struggled with playing small,” Kidd said after the loss in Boston. “If the big guys can't protect the perimeter, it's a shootout for them, so we felt comfortable staying small.”
The Mavs have been playing a variety of teams recently, giving them the opportunity to deploy different ball screen coverages, which could ultimately prove useful in the postseason. Teams like the Houston Rockets still have a tendency to take shots like Armen Thompson or rotate in advance, but the Mavs have a tendency to play against small-ball personnel looking to play a spread style. He’s getting some chances to get some reps. While the Mavs' small team deals with bigger players, Gafford spends most of his time dealing with slow-moving guards in space. The latest opportunity came on Tuesday against the Charlotte Hornets, where they used Grant Williams as the No. 5 for most of the game.
“I thought we did a really good first half with five guys out. We went where we tend to go in the second half. We just switched everything up. And we thought, let's see what happens.” [Gafford] He can guard point guards, and small players can guard bigs. I think our players did a great job in the first half. Again, it needs to improve to be consistent. But again, the defense tonight with five outs was really great. ”
Gafford has greatly improved the Mavs' interior ability as a shot blocker and rebounder, but Charlotte said he understands why the Mavs need to put other players in there if they can't protect the perimeter. I admitted it. He has emphasized improving as a perimeter guard and feels his performance against the Hornets was a big step for him in his development.
“I was successful from jump one through five,” Gafford said. “Overall, I want to be a better defender. And in my style of play, just being able to get forward and move my feet around the perimeter is just another step to help the defense. . So, at the end of the day, “I accept that challenge and just want to come out and help the team as much as I can. Even if I don't, it's about really liking having players on the team.'' I'm pretty sure I understand 'just defend, just like a 1-5 defense, I'd say scheme and it comes down to how you want to play defensively. But tonight I feel like it was actually a step in the right direction. ”
An approach the Mavs have tried recently is to have Doncic start by protecting his primary scorer with a more switching-focused approach. Throughout his rookie season, Dallas frequently played drop coverage with Lively, using via switching and blitzing as he became accustomed to the NBA. Initially, Gafford's ability to drop in coverage was more limited as he had to replace Maxi Kleber at the 5 after arriving via trade. Dallas is emphasizing switching with Gafford more and dialing up different defensive areas by playing closer to screen level depending on the matchup. Having a generally dependable progression will make it harder to pull away from the Mavs when it comes to a chess match in the playoffs.
“I think the key is to change up and throw different pitches heading into the playoffs, because you're playing against elite teams and teams that have elite players, you can't just be consistent and if they're the starters. 'Cause I just can't get ready 'cause I'm gonna take you away,'' Kidd said. “So just being able to throw different pitches, different matchups, I think we've been able to do that lately, especially in the Houston game, and having Luka be our primary scorer and having the defense work around him.” I was able to do that.'' Then tonight, I could be Red. [switch], we don't usually just come out and make everything red. I thought they did a really good job with that.
“We can continue to make and watch movies, and walkthroughs are now our practice,” Kidd explained. “That means we get to experience different scenarios as we prepare for our opponents.”
As the Mavs' defensive anchor, Gafford emphasized that the team's communication has improved, allowing the team to deal with different offensive styles and achieve advantageous results when implementing different defensive approaches. He faced a tough battle against a team with a lot of shooting threats in a five-out format, but highlighted how the team worked to deal with adversity while achieving improvements in the X's and O's. .
“As you can see, we’re out there communicating more and being there for each other more,” Gafford said. “Whenever you get frustrated defensively, it doesn't really matter. It's just, 'Okay, let's help the next guy.' At the end of the day, we push the next guy and play as a team. We play as a team. “I didn't want to get too frustrated with the way we were going, so I took a step back when we were losing. When I first got here, it sometimes caused a lot of frustration. I felt it, a lot of adversity, a lot of things.”
One of the reasons the Mavs are able to run different schemes is the added athleticism and length on the wings. Dante Exum is a big guard who can go full court and use his length to speed up the game. Derrick Jones Jr. does the same thing on the wing, even if he's chasing a player like Stephen Curry or trying to contain Kevin Durant. Washington provided another on-ball defensive option with size while strengthening the team's off-ball defense with his ability to function as a big when needed.
“Length and athleticism are very important, and when you talk about those three things; [Jones, Washington, and Exum]”That's what helps us,” Kidd said. “You can tell our guys are having fun playing defense, and when guys are having fun playing defense, we have a chance.”
Washington continues to have a strong defensive impact on the Mavs as the team's defense returns. No team in the lineup that has played at least 100 minutes since the NBA All-Star hiatus has a better defensive rating than Dallas' starting five, and Washington's versatility on the wing plays a key role. Boasting an ERA of 98.3, they are the only one of the five to fall below the standard of 103.0.
“For me, it's just being able to make an impact defensively and change the game that way,” Washington said. “I feel like I've done pretty well in that area, whether it's protecting the ball, protecting the bigs, protecting the wings. So I'm just trying to be versatile in that regard.”
Washington's defensive ability goes beyond direct defense. His long reach and athleticism made him a vital off-ball defender for the Mavs. His impressive 7'2.5″ wingspan allows him to effectively shoot to the basket from the weakside, steal the ball on drives, and cause havoc with well-timed rotations, something Williams doesn't have. Possessing physical characteristics, Washington often disrupts the opponent's play.The main help defender in the low position.
“I think [off-ball defensive] “It's just as important as on the ball because a lot of passes in the league are off the ball, so you just have to be careful and make sure your guys don't cut backdoors,” Washington said. Ta. And make sure I'm speaking up and being conscious on that side. ”
Rim protectors are an essential part of the defense from a communication standpoint, but the fourth spot tends to be just as important as the low defender. Washington appreciates the Mavs' success in deploying more defensive schemes to bring out more diversity as a group by spending more time together.
“I think it's great to be able to do that. [use difference schemes] Because we have a lot of guys who are tall and have long wingspans,” Washington said. It's going to be tough for us playing against different players, let alone making the playoffs, so we're just excited to come together at the right time and be here.”
The Mavs head into Wednesday's matchup with the Miami Heat on the second night of a back-to-back with a chance to build on their recent momentum. He has only three regular-season games remaining, but judging by how the Western Conference standings are unfolding, not all of them will be meaningful. Either way, Dallas will have some practice time to take advantage of before starting the first round of the playoffs as a top-six team that avoided the play-in tournament.
