The Mavericks were 1-2 this past week, and are still in 14th place in the West. They beat a hobbled Indiana team (107-105) but fell short against Detroit (122-110) and Houston (110-102). D’Angelo Russell
led the team in scoring over this stretch with 18.3 points per game. Daniel Gafford (ankle) made his season debut in Mexico City against the Pistons. Dante Exum (knee) and Kyrie Irving (knee) have yet to make their season debuts. Dereck Lively has not returned after he suffered a knee injury at some point after or during the team’s third game. Anthony Davis injured his calf against the Pacers and has yet to return.
Grade: C-
The Mavericks, for the second consecutive season, continue to fight injuries. They’re a part of the game, and Dallas is not the most affected team by any stretch. But when you look at the reasons why the Mavericks are not winning, injuries certainly play a large role. Dallas clearly has not been able to establish any sort of rhythm or consistency on offense for more than a quarter at a time, and having guys in and out of the lineup is a factor in that. Continuing to trot out Cooper Flagg at point guard has also contributed to their offensive woes.
To their credit, they have played the last two games without Anthony Davis and put out a solid showing. They were tied or leading in both fourth quarters against Detroit and Houston, and had different guys step up in Davis’ absence. D’Angelo Russell had 31 in Mexico City while P.J. Washington scored 29 in Houston. Brandon Williams had a 20-point outing after Davis went down against Indiana. The Mavericks did not lay down this past week, but they did not play well enough to warrant a good grade.
Straight A’s: Max Christie
Lost in the chaos of the weird lineups and the losing is Max Christie, having a good season. He is averaging 12.7 points a game on 50 percent from three, and has been one of Dallas’ most reliable players. Christie is a coach’s dream; he cuts, makes open shots, plays hard on defense, and improves every night. He was overlooked when Dallas traded for him, and he has been overlooked with all of the stuff that has transpired in the first two weeks. But Christie deserves some praise. He is a winning player and a guy I want on the version of this team that actually can contend for a championship.
Currently Failing: Fourth quarter offense
The Mavericks have built their team around the idea that defense can carry a team to a championship. It is not a bad thought, as most of the recent champions have had elite defenses. Unfortunately for Dallas, you cannot score points on defense, and that is where this idea hits a wall. The Mavericks were tied with Houston at 99 apiece as the clock rolled under four minutes on Monday. From that point on, the Rockets outscored the Mavericks 11-3, and the three points Dallas got all came on free throws. During those final four minutes, they turned the ball over twice and missed all five shots they took. At the time of writing, they are second from the bottom in fourth-quarter offensive rating (98.9) and, in 12 clutch minutes, have the fourth-worst clutch offensive rating (85.2).
The numbers back up what I am seeing. D’Angelo Russell has the most assists on the team by a mile (42 to Cooper Flagg’s 20), and yet he makes some truly puzzling decisions at the end of games, both passing and with his shot selection. The Mavericks have no go-to guy, and it becomes most apparent when they need a bucket down the stretch. They’re scoring the fewest points per game in the entire league, which includes a 0-6 Pelicans team that has a net rating of -17.4. The defense can put them in positions to win, but as long as the offense stays as putrid as it has been, they won’t be able to get over the hump.
Extra Credit: Brandon Williams
Continuing with the offense, Dallas has, for lack of a better term, one of the least electric offenses I have witnessed. Highlight plays are scarce, they make minimal threes, and they turn the ball over at an alarming rate. There is little to no name value either, making the Mavericks one of the toughest watches in the league. One of their only saving graces for this is Brandon Williams. Williams gets downhill in a way no one else on the team does, and can create offense for both himself and others. He is twitchy and crafty and does things that elite scorers do. He sparked the comeback against the Pacers and, most importantly, is enjoyable to watch. Unfortunately, it seems like his minutes will be contingent on how Jason Kidd feels on any given night. Whether it’s eight minutes or 30 minutes, Williams will have my attention when he is on the floor.
