You’ve heard of the concept that less is more. If the Mavericks have their way, they’re going to rewrite that blueprint.
In their book, they want more to be less.
As in, more high-quality players and less stress on a certain superstar point guard.
P.J. Washington has been nothing short of all-star level while Luka Dončić has been out with a sprained right wrist.
The 6-7 Washington has averaged 18.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the four games Luka has been out.
If you include the Oklahoma City game that Dončić missed on Nov. 17, Washington is averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds and the Mavericks have gone 4-1 in those games.
He’s shot over 50 percent in those games.
So what’s next?
“We got to find a way to have P.J. play this way with Luka and Kai (Kyrie Irving) and Klay (Thompson),” coach Jason Kidd said. “That’s the goal. He can’t take a step back. We got to continue to keep pushing him and I think he’s up to that challenge.”
The dream of having a high-producing Washington alongside three otherworldly guards is enough to have Maverick fans salivate.
When the team regains full health, the idea is that Washington’s numbers – and not necessarily his scoring numbers – would relieve some major pressure on the so-called Big Three.
In all five games that Luka has missed, Washington has had double-figure rebounds. He’s averaged 10 boards over the last seven games since returning from knee soreness. His 10 rebounds in the 129-114 win over New York on Wednesday were a big reason why the Mavericks won the glass 43-33.
“When I was out, obviously I thought the rebounding was a big issue,” Washington said. “So when I got back, I wanted to take care of that, just try to clean the glass for everybody and make the game easier.”
With Washington producing like he has, it’s no wonder the Mavericks are 6-1 in their last seven games.
Now it’s time to keep it going when Thompson and Dončić return.
Here’s our other takeaways from the runaway win against New York:
Spreading it around: Against the Knicks, Naji Marshall led the way with 24 points. Irving had 23 and Spencer Dinwiddie and Quentin Grimes had 21 each. It was the second game in a row that they have had four players top 20 points. In their 45-year history, the Mavericks have never before had four 20-point scorers in back-to-back games. “We got a lot of great players, a lot of guys that can score and cause havoc,” Washington said. “We passed the ball at an elite level and played together. It’s looking beautiful right now.”
Seeing results: Kidd said after the game that he challenged the Mavericks with a few goals that he wanted to see met. Over the last few games, he’s been impressed with what he’s seen. “There’s a list of things that I rattled off for the team to get better at and they’ve checked every one of them,” he said. “The bench, rebounding . . . The ball movement, the pace we’re playing with, the re-drives.” The result has been averaging 26 assists in the four games in a row Luka has missed. “(We’re) actually making some shots. That’s the only difference,” Kidd said. “We’re going to need Luka and hopefully, he’s back shortly. But it shows the depth of the team.”
Sick of it: A nasty bug has been working its way through the Mavericks’ locker room. Half a dozen players have either missed games, parts of games or just not felt well for games. One of them is Naji Marshall, who played against New York and had a team-high 24 points. Afterward, he was sniffling before and after he answered every question from the media. “I think there’s a bug in the world now,” Marshall said. “Everybody’s sick.”
X: @ESefko
Share and comment