The Dallas Mavericks bounced back Thursday night against the Miami Heat thanks to a defensive effort from the entire team, but Dallas needed to show some grit after allowing 120 or more points in six straight games. Body.
The Mavericks lost five of those six games, severely eroding the momentum they had gained during a seven-game winning streak. There can be a variety of reasons for this, but coaching, poor defense, and questionable lineups are at the forefront of Dallas' most common problems. The Mavericks' trade-deadline acquisitions of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford resulted in fairly even reviews from major sports media regarding Dallas' moves.
But one thing is for sure: Despite the Mavericks' overall defensive shortcomings as a team, Gafford and Washington have made a huge impact on Dallas' defense since joining the team. It means that it has come.
However, the Mavericks were not immune to criticism from Bleacher Report in their recent reassessment of the 2024 NBA trade deadline. Bleacher Report gave the Mavericks a D grade for acquiring P.J. Washington at the trade deadline. Dan Favar, who wrote this article, cited Dallas' deficiencies on defense as well as the flaws in the lineup and defensive rotation instilled by Kidd as the reasons why the Mavericks received a D grade for the Washington transfer. .
Favale even said Washington was not directly responsible for Dallas' shortcomings and blamed Kidd for not instilling Washington with more direct offensive behavior. Everything Favare said is true, but he contradicts himself by giving the Mavericks low marks on trades while acknowledging that Washington isn't the problem with Dallas these days.
After a rough start offensively, Washington has gotten even better on the Mavericks' offense over the past few games, so he'll be more valued by Dallas' system on both sides of the ball heading into the playoffs. I hope it continues. The Mavericks need to continue moving forward with the momentum they gained from Thursday's game against the Heat.
Stay tuned for more information on PJ Washington and the Dallas Mavericks as we head into the playoffs.
