Dallas Mavs' Bottom 5 Defense Fails Again: 'We Have to Be Better,' But Are Trades Needed?
When it comes to offense, the Dallas Mavericks have nothing to worry about this season, as they rank third in the NBA in offensive rating behind only the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers. When it comes to defense, though, the Mavs wouldn't be able to spot a nosebleed on that end of the court so far this season.
Through 14 games, Dallas has a bottom-five defense, ranking 26th with a defensive rating of 118.2. During the Mavs current skid, losing three of their last four games, with the latest being a 129-113 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, they've given up an average of 130.7 points in those losses.
“I think we’ve just got to get better at our defense," Mavs star Luka Doncic said after the latest loss, stating the obvious.
"Yeah, that’s part of the defense and the physicality," Doncic said when asked about the Mavs giving up 14 offensive rebounds against the Kings. "I think those two things we need to get way better [at].”
Although the team knows what it must improve at to become a real contender in the Western Conference, it might be easier said than done with personnel at hand. The Mavs are at a size disadvantage on the wing more times than not when they take the court, and although Mavs forward Grant Williams believes his team's effort is the main issue, that might not be only fix needed.
“Yeah, I think it’s mainly just our effort," Williams said. "Understanding we can trust one another. We’re taught our principles every single day, so being mindful of those. Our physicality has to improve.”
Aside from making a trade for a bigger defensive wing, one potential in-house fix for Kidd could be to give rookie forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper more minutes going forward. The 21-year-old first-round pick out of Marquette has only played a total of 34 minutes, and most of those have come in garbage time. At 6-8 and 230 pounds, Prosper has the physical tools to go along with endless high motor, and Dallas could greatly benefit from accelerating his development.
The Dallas Mavericks bench looks on en route to a 129-113 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
When it comes to protecting the paint, 19-year-old rookie Dereck Lively II has done an admirable job stepping in and giving it his all as the team's only real rim protector. However, there's only so much Lively can do, and it's almost unfair to expect him to cover up all the other Mavs' defensive mistakes just 13 games into his young career.
"He's just young. He's got to go through it," Kidd said of Lively, who struggled against All-Star center Domantas Sabonis on Sunday. "This is the NBA. It's not college. He just has to go through it. The more minutes that he's on the floor, he'll get better. Not today, but in a couple months, he'll understand what he has to do. He's giving everything he has. We've got to continue to stay positive, and he's going to get better."
Kidd is right that Lively will continue to get better, but if the Mavs aren't going to make a move to improve their wing size and depth, they certainly need to be working the phones in an attempt to upgrade their backup center depth. As great of an effort as 10th-year veteran Dwight Powell gives on a nightly basis, he just doesn't have the size or physicality to keep the Mavs from getting decimated in the paint. Dallas must find a way to beef up its front court if it wants any chance of improving its defense as this season progresses.
The Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls are two teams to monitor when it comes to potential situations the Mavs could benefit from via trades. Raptors forwards Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby could both be unrestricted free agents next summer, and for a team that already isn't a contender with those players on the roster, Toronto certainly can't afford to lose them for nothing.
As for the Bulls, they've started this season 5-9, and it looks as if Zach LaVine could be on the move sooner than later. Although the Mavs don't need a player like LaVine with Doncic and Kyrie Irving starring in the backcourt, Dallas could benefit from adding pieces like Alex Caruso, and even Andre Drummond, who was expected to sign with the Mavs in free agency over the summer had he opted out of the final year of his contract.
Perhaps the Mavs are able to turn things around starting on Wednesday when then take on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, but unless a few more pieces are added, Dallas might be in for more disappointment as the schedule rolls on. After starting the season 8-2, that excitement has faded with the team now 9-5, and it has us wondering if all the skepticism around the Mavs' easy early schedule was warranted after all.
