The dynamics of an NBA team are complicated sometimes.
Like when you’re two best players are sidelined indefinitely. That has a major impact not just on the court, where making up for their loss requires a community effort.
It also impacts the locker room, where voices need to be heard, but often it’s not logical for players who are spending more time in the training room to be rah-rah leaders.
So the Mavericks were looking for leadership during the five-game losing streak that came with Luka Dončić out and Kyrie Irving joining him on the shelf for the last two losses.
Up stepped P.J. Washington before the Mavericks took apart the Los Angeles Lakers 118-97 on Tuesday. He’s been around the league long enough to know how to take the pulse of the team.
And he knew what to say to his teammates.
“He said give this group some time,” coach Jason Kidd said. “This is a new group. A lot of injuries. We’re asking guys to change their roles, make a pivot.
“And guys have been in a positive state. The energy is great, and we believe every time we take the floor that we can win. Sometimes you don’t. But can you learn from that. It’s a long season. I give P.J. a lot of credit for having the voice in that locker room and keeping guys together.”
The message was well-received. The Mavericks played their best game in weeks, shot the ball well from three-point range and, in turn, were able to play sticky defense against LeBron James and Anthony Davis. And they won the rebounding game convincingly.
So what, exactly, was Washington’s message?
“He just came out and told everybody to play their game,” said Quentin Grimes. “Go out there and have fun. Play for each other. Play as a team. We know what we’re capable of and he did a good job of bringing us together.”
Washington said he thought the Mavericks responded well against the Lakers.
“We played together, moved the ball well and created for each other,” he said. “Our offense was flowing so the defensive end was a lot easier. Everybody played together. We got in the paint and good things happened.”
Washington and Grimes are two of the anchors for the Mavericks at both ends of the floor while Irving and Dončić are out. And they came through with a combined 45 points against the Lakers.
But it’s the words, as much as the points, that lifted the Mavericks out of their losing streak.
Here’s our other takeaways from the big win over the Lakers.
Unsung hero: With Daniel Gafford injured (sprained ankle), the Mavericks were down to Dereck Lively II, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell to man the center position. They also use Washington at center in small lineups. But it was Kleber who put in 29 minutes, much of it going against Anthony Davis. The result? The Mavericks were plus-21 when Kleber was on the floor, which is remarkable for somebody who finished with five points and five rebounds. Davis? He shot 7-of-18 and the Lakers were minus-19 when he was on the floor.
Sung hero: Until further notice, Spencer Dinwiddie is going to have to be the point guard for the Mavericks. They have precious few other healthy options. And Dinwiddie could not have been more effective than he was against the Lakers with 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds. He was the only Maverick with a better plus-minus than Kleber (plus-24). And he was masterful running the same pick-and-roll play that the Lakers are still trying to figure out how to stop. “The guys executed the plan and Spencer’s (game) from the jump ball was really, really good,” Kidd said. “The executing – being able to run the play. Can we run it again. The group did a really good job of that. Spencer did a really good job of getting the switch.”
Teammates, at last: Washington told an interesting story about when he tried to recruit Grimes to come to Kentucky. “He’s my locker mate. When I was at Kentucky, I hosted him on his visit, so that’s my guy,” Washington said. “I’m just proud of him and can’t wait to see what he does this season.” Said Grimes: “That’s my dog. He wanted me to go there out of high school. It didn’t work out like that. Luckily we got together on the NBA level and it’s a little better in my opinion.” So why didn’t Grimes end up at Kentucky? Both players deferred on that one, smiling and saying they’d better not say anything.
Thoughts on LeBron: The Mavericks got to see a lot of LeBron James, who had 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but took only 12 shots against the Mavericks’ defense. “Arguably, if not, the best ever,” Grimes said. “And he had that crazy dunk in the first quarter. I’ve been watching him since I can remember, so it was great to go up against a guy like that.” That dunk was a drive into the paint, gathering the ball with the right hand and switching to the left for the tomahawk. Said Washington about going against James: “Treat it like any other game. Obviously, he’s one of the best to ever play the game, so you got to prepare a little different, but go out there like he’s a regular player and attack him like anybody else.”
X: @ESefko
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