DALLAS — All was well until just a week ago. The Dallas Mavericks were riding high with a seven-game winning streak, buoyed by a superstar duo and a trade deadline acquisition that seemed to mesh perfectly. They defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder before the All-Star break and the Phoenix Suns after the All-Star break. They were getting attention and they deserved it.
After losing 137-120 to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, their fifth loss in six games, Dallas is in a dangerous free fall that threatens to end its season. It's natural to have deep questions about this team and its direction.
Before Tuesday's game, coach Jason Kidd called for a championship fight. “We're trying to build a championship team, and it's not easy,” Kidd said. “Dallas hasn't talked about it in a long time. So when we talk about it, it's pretty cool. We couldn't talk about it last year or the year before. It takes time to be able to build.”
During their seven-game winning streak, the Mavericks briefly sparked talk that they might be a dark horse contender. But after Tuesday's loss, they surprisingly resemble last season's disastrous failure that didn't even make the play-in tournament, rather than the flawed unit that made it to the 2022 conference finals.
“We have the talent,” Kidd said Tuesday night. “We've got a team. It's only going to get harder as we get into April, May and June, so this is really a great test of whether we can get through the tough times in March.”
Kidd may be relying on the coach's words, but that's clearly what the players are listening to. Many of them have used phrases like “We're a team in pursuit” in recent interviews. However, the comments belie the team's recent performance. The question now is on the Mavericks' ability to get through the first half of April — they're only a half-game behind the ninth-place Los Angeles Lakers — never mind June.
Dallas' defense has been the worst in the league since the All-Star break. It's not even close. The team's 126 points per 100 possessions is nearly four points worse than the Washington Wizards.
“We tried everything,” Kidd said. “We flipped the switch, we switched to the hit, we went to the zone. Give (Indiana) credit. The key is rotation, not giving up the corner 3, and we're getting here. .”
So let's start there. Dallas is making 10.6 corner threes per game this season, fifth-most in the league, but that has jumped to 11.4 (fourth-most) since the trade deadline. The Mavericks were not penalized for allowing such shots during their seven-game winning streak. But opponents have hit about half of that since the losses started.
Dallas' plan revolves around hiding Luka Doncic, a generational offensive maven who added 39 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in Tuesday's loss. Lately, the constant see-saw of defensive schemes that opponents try against him tends to reduce blitzes and double teams in an attempt to make him a scorer. It remains impossible to protect him.
“Are we asking too much?” Kidd said. “I don't know if we're asking. This is what he's doing.”
But Doncic's stellar offensive performance hasn't translated into wins.
Unfortunately, Doncic is one of the reasons why. Even if the plan is to cover up defensive shortcomings, Doncic can't afford not to be a part of it. For example, consider the drop pick-and-roll coverage Dallas has been using with traditional big men, even though it hasn't been effective this season. According to the second spectral data obtained by The Athletic, Dallas allowed the league's most points per possession (1.08) using this scheme. Let me give you an example of what went wrong against the Pacers.
Jalen Smith put it on the poster 🤯 pic.twitter.com/iMXZwfpfDh
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 6, 2024
The Dallas coaching staff relies on this particular coverage often. The team envisions the guard swimming through screens to block pull-up threes while the big man retreats, returning to play in time to prevent further damage. Daniel Gafford, who started in place of rookie Derek Lively II against the Pacers, allowed a Jalen Smith dunk on a poor angle setup, the type of breakdown that happens many times every game. Kyrie Irving rotated toward the rim behind the opposing corner shooter, but his size had little effect. But the much larger Doncic never left his manning in the right corner. Who knows if his rotation had any impact, but it was one of the many things he didn't even try on Tuesday.
Doncic also played 34 straight minutes in the second quarter and didn't leave the court until the benches emptied with two minutes left. He has responded by averaging 37.3 points over the past seven games as opponents dare to impose even more scoring burdens on him, but that obligation has taken a big toll on his defensive efforts. It seems like it is.
Asked if Doncic needs to be better, Kidd said, “Everyone does,” declining to name names.
“When you think about relying on Luka on offense to be productive, which he really is, we have to be able to cover him,” Kidd said. “And not only will we cover Luka, but (Kyrie) as well.”
Irving shares the blame for the team's defensive struggles, which creates a difficult situation for any coach. Dallas' offense has been the fourth best in the league since the All-Star break, but it needs Doncic and Irving to play a lot of minutes. (Tim Hardaway Jr.'s struggles have been somewhat rightly and somewhat unfairly blamed for the team's recent losing streak, but he played just 13 minutes in Tuesday's game.) Irving's defense The problem with is that it's too much freelance and it's just too small. This is different from Doncic's inactivity. But they cause the same problem. When a team's two best offensive players both need to be covered defensively, a delicate mix of lineups and personnel is needed to compensate for them.
Kidd often says that a team's offense is its greatest defense. Dallas is allowing 115 points per 100 possessions after made field goals, which ranks 17th and is an acceptable average. But missed shots allowed Dallas to concede 123 points per 100 possessions, the fourth-worst mark in the league. The Mavericks have the second-most 3-point shots he makes in the league, and with the team's trade deadline moves reducing his 3-point shooting ability, they have no time to properly set up their defense. Despite being limited, he gains more possessions each game. . Even though Doncic is far from the sole culprit, he does have some fault for his frequent complaints to officials.
Another reason is schematic. Dallas' best defenders are their worst offensive players, often setting up in the corners, and therefore having to travel the longest distance to get back to the other side of the court. Doncic often sends passes to them while driving to the rim, carrying them over the baseline and even further out from where he can run back. Or take a step-back 3-pointer above the break on the 3-point line and be the player closest to the opponent's rim when you miss. Irving is also the opponent who most often crosses the 3-point line when possession ends in a mistake. Dallas' transition defense is a complex question with no big answer.
Kid clearly hasn't found a suitable solution. This is a common problem. Many coaches are tasked with scheming around superstars who carry a huge burden on the offensive end. There aren't many defensive duos as formidable as Doncic and Irving, but they also have a sensational scoring partnership and are worth building a complementary roster around.
Dallas' team may not be perfect, but for the second year in a row, the team made an immediate acquisition at the trade deadline to try to make the team a better fit for Kidd. Because of that, the blame should fall on him.
“Our energy has been down since the All-Star Game. We've got to get it back,” he said after Tuesday's game.
But that's been the case for some games and he hasn't found what he needs to fix it yet. In Monday's practice, the team had what Kidd described as a “great film session” that focused on defensive communication and consistent effort. Things didn't go well against Indiana.
The team beat the Mavericks in predictable fashion. They're wearing Doncic down, forcing him to protect him and Irving, betting that his two teammates can't hurt them enough unless he and Irving are completely isolated. It was the same on Tuesday. Dallas should be better than this, as they have a talented team and one of the most productive teams in the six years of the Doncic era. Then what Kidd said about conflict would seem plausible, if a bit exaggerated, rather than nonsense.
Dallas has an inconsistent roster that features traditional big men who are best suited for pick-and-roll coverage, which the team has consistently failed at, and primary point-of-attack defenders who are unsuited to navigating screens. Even if asked, let's face it, it should be better than this. P.J. Washington, the team's marquee addition at the deadline, was more likely to be tied to incumbent Maxi Kleber than the promising young center they drafted or the center they spent the cost of a first-round pick to acquire. Even if they seem to be a good match, they should be better. Despite his defensive deficiencies, Doncic is arguably one of the best players in the league and will be asked to do a lot on both sides of the ball, which should make the team better. They should be better, immaculate, no excuses.
There are 20 games left this season. Whether it's a schematic way to further develop the strengths of this roster, motivate players to get the most out of them, or minimize the problems that have plagued the team during this horrible period, Kidd has a lot to offer. They'll be given these games to prove they can find an answer, whether it's a rotational solution that keeps them down. .
But more than that, the franchise and its decision-makers understand the urgency surrounding Doncic's excellence.
This cannot continue and the changes this team can make are running out.
(Top photo: Jerome Miron/USA Today)
