We are getting close to the time in an NBA season when fans start wondering what their team’s identity will be.
Some develop a gritty, battle-scarred demeanor.
Others rely on their offense and finesse.
Some simply fade into the wallpaper, never to be heard from again in the big picture.
The Mavericks? They fashion themselves as a defense-first team that tries not to rely solely on Luka Dončić, but often has to.
Nothing wrong with that. Franchises blessed with generational talents are supposed to ride them. That’s what you do when you have a Secretariat.
Jason Kidd likes to say that an NBA season doesn’t really start to take shape until Christmas.
But what if this is what the Mavericks are? What if they are destined to win eight of every 14 games (that would be a 46-win pace, by the way)? What if they’re going to entertain us and frustrate us with equal disregard for our emotional well-being?
The way this season is looking so far, all of that is possible. And, to be honest, those are the most fun teams. Those that lose all the time or, to some degree, win all the time tend to be easily forgotten until the draft lottery or the playoffs.
But think about it. The Mavericks are neither an old team, nor a young one. Seven of their key rotation players are in their late 20s or early 30s. Only Dončić and Josh Green are under 25.
The point of this is that watching these Mavericks take shape is going to be a story unto itself. We don’t know if Christian Wood is going to blossom into a sidekick for Luka or if it’s going to be Spencer Dinwiddie or a combination of other players joining with those two to make the Mavericks more diverse.
Anyway, I realize you readers are supposed to be asking the questions, not me. But I’m just a little confused by this team so far. Maybe clarity is coming.
For now, on with this week’s mailbag.
Question of the week: What are your thoughts on the Mavs having both Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock together so much? With their limited offensive lineup, I feel these two cannot both be 30- to 35-minute guys. Can Josh Green fill the Bullock spot? Brad M.
Big Ed: Two thoughts, I have on this (slipping into Yoda-speak). First, Luka Dončić is so good that other players around him get better offensively just because of his presence. In that regard, you want good defenders who might be limited on offense to play with him. Takes the pressure off of him defensively and he helps get the most out of them, whatever that may be, on offense. Second, the Mavericks want to make sure their players know the value of defense. If you start putting all your best offensive players on the floor together, it sends a bad message to everyone that the only thing that matters is how you’re doing on that end of the floor. That can create some bad habits among players who feel like they need to get their points to be noticed. I admit I had reservations about playing both of them together last year when Bullock arrived. But it worked out pretty well, especially since both are threats from the three-point line. Opponents can’t just ignore them. For now, I think you could do worse than having those two guys as your starting wing players. And other than Tim Hardaway Jr., the backups behind them aren’t exactly huge offensive contributors. Green remains mostly unproven, although his energy makes up for a lot of things that might not be very consistent with his game.
Question: I have no idea what a flagrant-2 is these days. Seems like just touching a guy’s head is an F-1. My question is: after what happened to Dwight Powell Wednesday, when will the Mavericks stop letting their guys get punked with no push-back? Abe H.
Big Ed: For those who missed it, Powell got kneed on the right cheek near his eye on a dunk by Houston’s Kenyon Martin Jr. It was called a foul, then upgraded to flagrant-1. Flagrant-2 calls are reserved for plays when excessive and unnecessary force are used, particularly when it involves hits to the head. If a defender on the fast break, winds up and takes a hack at an opponent’s head, without making an honest effort for the ball, that’s flagrant-2. As for the Mavericks sticking up for each other, that’s something that has to grow naturally. It will take a player stepping up, maybe jumping off the bench and possibly even getting suspended. Those things are hard to do because media and sometimes coaches will jump on players for acting irrationally. That said, sometimes, it has a really positive, bonding value for a team. (No, I’m not condoning that the Mavericks need to be the Bad Boys of this generation. That’s not how they’re built. But it wouldn’t be so bad to have somebody take one for the team, as the saying goes).
Question: What does Devin Harris do for the Mavericks?
Big Ed: He makes some appearances in the community, but mostly, he’s working on the pregame, halftime and postgame television broadcasts for Bally Sports. Devin’s always had potential for a TV gig and he’s learning the business. He’s certainly got a wealth of experience to draw on after his long playing career.
Question: I don’t want to hear anybody else saying that Luka doesn’t make teammates better. Not after Wednesday. This team is a bunch of second- and third-tier players and one superstar. No superstar in the league has less to work with than Luka. This is on Mark Cuban and Nico (Harrison). Patriot.
Big Ed: OK, Patriot, settle down. First off, I didn’t hear anybody complaining when the Dinwiddie trade went down last year. People were glad to move on from Kristaps Porzingis (a good player who just didn’t fit with Luka like everyone hoped). This is what happens when expectations spike. A trip to the West finals last season has put the Mavericks in a tough spot. Anything less than that is going to be viewed as failure. And that’s not a good way to view this season. Can we see what’s in store for the next month or so before we make knee-jerk reactions?
Question: What’s the best thing you’ve seen out of the Mavericks during this home stand? And the worst thing? Doug S.
Big Ed: Glad you asked. There has been one thing that stood out to me as a big positive. When they fouled Nic Batum before he could get off a potential tying three-point shot on Tuesday, it was a clear sign that the Mavericks learned from the major screw-up they had earlier this month when they couldn’t execute a foul when they had a three-point lead and Kevin Durant had a chance to tie it with three free throws. Making sure you get plays like that right will win ballgames. As for the worst thing, it would be easy to say that losing all these big leads is something that shouldn’t happen. But this is the NBA. It happens to most teams. Maybe not as much as the Mavericks, but it happens. My bigger concern would be that they start shooting free throws much better than they are. The other night, Luka was 11-for-11 and everybody else was 5-for-13. That won’t cut it. As Jason Kidd sai: “Every point for us counts because of all the close games we’re playing right now. We work on ‘em and we believe the guys are going to knock them down. It’s something we got to pay attention to, just like rebounding and transition defense. It’s a part of the game that can help win or put you in a bad way. We just got to keep taking them with confidence. We’re getting there. That’s a good thing. We got to continue to keep driving the ball.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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