The ups and downs of a long season get over-analyzed. By the time 2023 rolls around, players and teams usually have found their norms and know their roles.
But with only seven games played, things can fluctuate a lot. Like when Christian Wood had back-to-back-to-back games of 11, 11 and 5 points over the last week.
That came after he opened his Mavericks’ career with 25, 25 and 23 points.
A lot of observers wondered which three-game stretch was the aberration.
Wood did a lot on Wednesday to silence the narrative.
As Luka Dončić said: “He showed what he could do and we’re going to feed him a lot.”
Wood had 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Mavericks’ 103-100 win over Utah. He and Dwight Powell anchored another strong night by the Mavericks’ bench. And it’s becoming clear that the reserves are going to have different featured performers from game to game.
“Guys got to be prepared for different situations on different nights,” Powell said. “It’s our responsibility – guys coming off the bench – to be locked into the game plan and the tendencies and be ready to step in when called.”
And it’s on the heavy lifters like Luka and Spencer Dinwiddie to make sure the trio of big men off the bench are in position to make the Mavericks better.
“If DP is in the game, or JaVale, we can be playing pick-and-roll and look for the lob,” Dinwiddie said. “By the same token, if C-Wood is in, you got to make the right play call and get him the ball or get the switch so that he gets in a position where they can’t switch back or double and he can score. So it’s just reading the game.”
On Wednesday, the Mavericks were fluent in the language of basketball.
“It’s amazing,” Luka said of the bench group. “You see DP with a plus-minus of 25. He changed the game with his energy.”
All coach Jason Kidd knows is that the Mavericks went 2-1 in the most recent three games when Wood had a combined 27 points. He’ll take that. And now he had a strong outing in a hard-fought win over the Jazz.
Kidd knows that very few players are going to roll along for an entire season and never have a set of games where they don’t score like they want to.
“We have two of the top five (players) coming off the bench, the No. 1 bench in scoring,” Kidd said, referring to Wood and Tim Hardaway Jr. “When you play 82 games, you’re not going to average 24 a night. You’ll have 11 one night, you’ll have five.
“ It’s about the team win. We still scored 114 points with only C-Wood scoring five. But Timmy had a big night. That’s the just the way the league is going to go.”
Kidd is blessed to have several starting-caliber players who are coming off the bench – including Dwight Powell, who gave the Mavericks a spark against the Jazz in the first half Wednesday.
Powell, Hardaway, Wood and Maxi Kleber all have been frequent starters. Now, they are providing sizzle off the bench.
Wood and Hardaway came into Wednesday’s game combining for 31 points per game.
“If both of those guys go big, that’s great,” Kidd said. “Hopefully, that puts us in position to have a blowout. But C-Wood is going to score. That’s one thing we know he can do.”
Free for the taking: It took 77 seconds Wednesday night for Luka Dončić to get to the free-throw line against the Utah Jazz.
That’s not so surprising. Dončić is one of the most frequent visitors to the stripe in the NBA, shooting 11.5 per game coming into Wednesday’s action. Only Giannis Antetokounmpo was getting more free looks from 15 feet per game.
That’s the explanation that Kidd came up with when he was asked how the Mavericks could have the No. 2 offensive rating in the NBA, yet also be dead last in assists per game at under 20 per game (they had exactly 20 on Wednesday).
“I don’t know how we’re the No. 1 offensive team and dead last in assists, but the way to answer that is we’re getting to the free throw line more,” Kidd said. “As a coach, I’ll take that. I believe we’re making the right plays. When you’re No. 1 in offense and dead last in assists, somebody’s playing well.”
The Mavericks, indeed, came into Wednesday’s game leading the NBA in free-throw attempts per game at 31.8.
Summer carryover: The Mavericks have benefited from a strong start to the season by Luka.
The Jazz similarly are riding the wave provided by Lauri Markkanen.
Dončić and Markkanen have one thing in common. They both played in the EuroBasket tournament in September.
“I think they’re in a rhythm now,” Kidd said. “Fatigue could come later. It’s early, but guys that played in EuroBasket are playing well. We’re seeing that with Luka. I think maybe fatigue could come later. But it’s not going to come right now, especially for us with (so many) off days. You ask that question in mid-November or December when we’re playing back-to-backs, you have to look at that schedule and maybe have a night off.”
Jazz coach Will Hardy agreed with Kidd.
“I think playing this summer as much as he did helped him come in (with) a different level of conditioning than some of the other guys,” Hardy said of Markkanen.
Looks oddly familiar: Kidd said before the game that the Jazz are using a formula that seems vaguely familiar in their surprising start to the season.
“They’re a team that plays fast,” Kidd said. “It reminds me of us a little bit last year running teams off the three defensively and then shooting as many threes as you can. They’re doing that at a high level right now.”
The Jazz gutted their roster this summer. At least most people thought they did when they jettisoned Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neale and Bojan Bogdanovic.
But the Jazz play fast and they play hard, which is by design, Hardy said.
It’s been impressive to Kidd, but not all that surprising.
“It starts with ownership,” he said. “No matter who’s on the team their going to try to win. Talk of tanking or playing for Viktor (Wembanyama, the presumed No. 1 draft pick next June) is all camouflage. They got people over there that can play.
“They’re shooting 42 threes a night, playing at a very high place. Sprinkle in (executive) Danny Ainge and his magic – and Will’s doing a real good job of coaching for his first year.”
Briefly: One of the great Mavericks of all time, Jason Terry, was on the sideline as an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz. Terry is in his first season with the Jazz after helping out on Denver’s staff last season. One of the heroes of the Mavericks’ 2011 championship squad, Terry has a big supporter when it comes to becoming a coach someday in Kidd . . . The Mavericks were a remarkable plus-25 during the 19 minutes that Dwight Powell played . . . Rookie Jaden Hardy was recalled from the G-League Texas Legends for Wednesday’s game, but Kidd said that the game plan is to have him play for the Legends when their season opens this weekend.
Twitter: @ESefko
Share and comment