The Dallas Mavericks were absolutely blasted on Wednesday night, losing 125-92 to their division rival San Antonio Spurs. Dallas was expected to have a stifling defense, but instead they were more like a sieve, allowing a layup line to the basket while Victor Wembanyama had his way in all facets of the game. Entering the season, one of the primary questions regarding the team’s chances of success was whether or not their offense could carry them when their defense faltered. On Wednesday night, we received
the early returns on that inquiry and the results were not good.
Dallas’ offense often looked like five strangers playing their first pickup game together. Anthony Davis succinctly summed up the problem.
Davis’ observation of the Mavs’ over-reliance on isolation basketball is, of course, spot on. The team simply did not pass the ball. Ryan Nembhard led all Mavs in assists with five, which he dished in less than 16 minutes of play, while D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Williams combined for five assists in 27 minutes. Davis played far too much iso-ball himself en route to an inefficient 7-for-22 from the field, but absent designed plays and getting the ball in favorable spots, it’s almost hard to blame him.
This all amounted to one of the worst offensive displays in recent memory.
It’s the first game of the season, and Jason Kidd is clearly still in experimental mode, but Dallas needs to figure this out quickly. Rolling out a starting lineup with no conventional point guard is one thing, but seemingly making no attempt at executing an offensive scheme or even making an effort to make the extra pass is something else entirely. If the defensive falters, Dallas simply can’t rely on an offense that produces a 91.1 rating.
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