The Mavs have signed center Samuel Dalembert, bringing the big man back to the Big D after one season in the Big Apple.
Dalembert, 34, started in the middle for Dallas during the 2013-14 season, appearing in 80 games and averaging 6.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Following the season, he was traded to the Knicks with Jose Calderon, Shane Larkin, and Wayne Ellington for Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton. In 32 appearances for struggling New York, he scored 4.0 points and grabbed 5.3 boards a night.
The Haitian helps solidify the center position for the Mavs. Alongside Zaza Pachulia, second-year player Dwight Powell, and potentially Jarrid Famous or other players Dallas could potentially add via trade or free agency before camp begins. Although it’s unclear at the moment who will start, I suspect Pachulia enters camp as the favorite.
Dalembert was an effective player with Dallas. He shot a career-high 56.8 percent from the field during the ’13-’14 campaign and posted a career-high 117 individual offensive rating. While he was on the floor, Dallas collected 73.4 percent of possible defensive rebounds, per NBA.com, but that number slipped to 72.3 percent while he was on the bench. For reference, the former stat would have ranked 23rd in the league that season, while the latter would have ranked 28th. The Mavs are looking to improve on the glass, and between the contributions of Dalembert, Pachulia, and the bigger, stronger guards, this should be possible.
Where the center has really excelled throughout his career is blocking shots. His career block percentage, which represents the percentage of opponents’ 2-point field goal attempts that one player blocks, stands at 5.6. That’s the highest among active players and 10th-best of all-time, ahead of players like Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and Tim Duncan. He’s never averaged less than 2.1 blocks per 36 minutes during any single season in his career, and he blocked 1.2 shots per game during his first stint with the Mavs.
In many ways Dalembert is a classic example of the fulcrum of a defense, acting as an anchor on the interior to whom his teammates try to direct their opponents. His seven-foot-seven wingspan and general instincts make him a huge shot-blocking threat on every possession, no matter where the shot is coming from. Opponents shot 52.0 percent at the rim against him during his season in Dallas, but that number dropped to 45.4 percent with the Knicks last season, per SportVU.
Dalembert, Pachulia, and the rest of the Mavs big men will be better-equipped to defend the rim this season playing behind Deron Williams and Wes Matthews, two big, long guards. Matthews, in particular, is a terrific defender. Just as having an elite rim protector behind you makes defending on the outside easier, having above-average defenders on the outside simplifies holding down the paint. When your teammates can either direct traffic strategically or altogether eliminate a drive into the lane, a center’s job is so much easier.
Regardless of what was happening around the big man during his season here, Dallas was better off defensively when Dalembert played. While he was on the floor, Dallas allowed 104.4 points per 100 possessions, which would have ranked 16th in the league over the course of the entire season. With him off the court, that number rose to 107.0 per 100, which would have ranked 25th in the league. The Mavs improved across the board on defense last season, however, surrendering just 103.7 points per 100 possessions, good for 18th in the league.
Assuming Dalembert will play backup center, the bench unit will likely consist of some combination including Devin Harris, Justin Anderson, and the Haitian big man, giving the Mavs three rock-solid defenders in a five-man lineup. Dalembert and Pachulia combine length and strength with toughness and size. If both players live up to their defensive potential, Dallas could sneakily have a really nice interior defense in the difficult Western Conference.
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