Theo Pinson profile

It’s time to continue our series breaking down the Mavericks’ roster.

Rather than just running down the assets and debits of each player, we’re going to approach this year’s roster evaluation a little differently.

With a sound track.

Since the Mavericks reached the Western Conference finals last season and have made it clear that championships are the only measuring stick they will use moving forward in the Luka Dončić era, it’s time to analyze what they need from each player to someday make that a reality, preferably sooner than later.

And there’s a theme song, or two or three – basketball’s version of walk-up music, if you will – for each player.

So here we look at each player and what they must accomplish for the Mavericks to be title worthy. We’ll assume good health for everybody, which is always the No. 1 issue.

Next up is Theo Pinson.

THEME SONGS: Yakety Yak (don’t talk back) by the Coasters and Don’t Speak by No Doubt.

STAT FROM 2021-22 THAT MUST IMPROVE: Only one thing can transform Pinson from the Mavericks’ spark plug ON the bench to being a spark plug OFF the bench. Playing time. He played only 148 minutes in 19 games last season, but he etched himself into the team’s bedrock because of his effervescent personality. He was a locker-room favorite of basically all of his teammates. But he needs playing time to keep his place on the roster.

BREAKDOWN: Pinson had no trouble talking a good game. He helped the Mavericks get fined three times during the playoffs by leading the reserves to breaking the “bench decorum” rules. It became a running joke within the Mavericks and Pinson even helped out on the court by wearing the same color shirt as Golden State’s jerseys in one game, getting Steph Curry to whip a pass to him on the sideline. All that was great fun. But it’s time for Pinson to show he can contribute on the court. It’s hard to judge what the 6-5 guard might be capable of because of his limited time, but there are signs that his shooting could be a boost for this team. He hit all 10 of his free throws last season. He also made a third of his 30 3-point tries. He only shot nine times inside the arc. So based on those modest numbers, it seems like he’s ready to earn spot minutes as a designated shooter. There are some minutes to spread around because of Jalen Brunson’s departure. But Pinson will have a lot of competition for those minutes. The main thing he needs to accomplish is to carve out a role – one that gets him off the bench.

NEXT: Frank Ntilikina.

PREVIOUSLY:

JaVale McGee: https://www.mavs.com/mcgee-profile/

Maxi Kleber: https://www.mavs.com/kleber-profile/

Jaden Hardy: https://www.mavs.com/hardy-profile/

Tim Hardaway Jr.: https://www.mavs.com/hardaway-profile/

Josh Green: https://www.mavs.com/green-profile/

Dorian Finney-Smith: https://www.mavs.com/finney-smith-profile/

Tyler Dorsey: https://www.mavs.com/dorsey-profile/

Luka Doncic: https://www.mavs.com/luka-profile/

Spencer Dinwiddie: https://www.mavs.com/dinwiddie-profile/

Reggie Bullock: https://www.mavs.com/profiles-bullock/