The Dallas Mavericks have a lot of problems to solve in order to play at the best level for a whole game by the looks of it after game one against the Houston Rockets. Transition defense, turnovers, decision-making and better shot-quality, to name a few.
New Mavs head coach Dusty May hit the nail on the head after the game, when he said:
“I thought we started playing a little too quickly, and shooting some shots, some semi-open shots, instead of getting possession back, making them work a little bit,
finding some connection.”
The Mavs forgot how to pass. They forgot that basketball is a team sport, and they made quite a few mistakes in that disastrous second quarter, which the Mavs lost 38-12.
No, that’s not right. A couple players forgot that the Mavs are now a passing team. Who knows, maybe they’re worried about keeping their spot on the roster. Because they sure seemed to play for themselves.
To no one’s surprise, that didn’t work. It didn’t work when P.J. Washington hoisted up one threepointer after another too early in the possession, at a point when the Mavs really needed to get settled and get the opponent to work to find the best look.
And it didn’t work when the Mavs tried hard to run a play to get a good look, but Washington instead decided to go one-on-one on Kevin Durant. KEVIN DURANT. Which led to an offensive foul on Washington.
Yes, I rewatched the second quarter so you don’t have to. And unfortunately, I had to watch Naji Marshall airball that three too early in the shot clock, as well. Not long after, Washington fires a (too) quick three, again, which misses. And then soon after, Marshall shoots another three, instead of passing until a better shot comes along, which he misses. All this with either generational talent Cooper Flagg or future Hall of Famer Kyrie Irving on the floor – or both!
This is not good enough. Dusty May is trying to create a winning culture in Dallas. If these guys keep playing for themselves, they need to either be benched or traded. On top of that, there’s the whole effort aspect, which includes Daniel Gafford, but that’s a topic for another day.
There are a handful of players on that bench, who know how to play team ball. Who know how to pass, play together and find that connection, Dusty May is looking for.
Whether these other guys – let’s maybe call them the old guard – aren’t buying in, or straight up don’t understand the idea, the Mavs would be better off playing whoever understands how to pass the ball. The sum of this team’s parts will create a much better whole than whatever this “me-me-me” offense was.
Kyrie Irving did not want to mention names and pointed out a lack of effort. And Gafford certainly belongs there with the two already mentioned. Bad offensive decisions and poor effort on defense, that’ll take down any team.
After the game, Kyrie Irving – always the team guy – did point out a positive from this. Adversity.
“It was rough to go through, but I think we needed it,” the point guard said. “It was necessary for us to grow as a group.”
To develop chemistry, you have to go through some adversity. But you don’t have to do it on purpose.
Kyrie Irving was not to blame for this, he looked a bit rusty and not as sharp as he can be, but he’s been out for over a year. And the thing about Kyrie is that he doesn’t make bad decisions.
“I gotta do a better job of leading us out. And just not necessarily playing so timid. Getting some shots up and aggressively attacking double teams,” he said.
Kyrie will take accountability, and that’s a good thing as a leader. But it won’t solve the first issue. And he was rattled when they threw a double team at him in the second, he said. And it showed.
“It surprised me a bit when Ime (Udoka, coach of the Houston Rockets) threw some double teams at me coming off those screens, which, you know, first game coming back.”
For the Mavericks to change this dynamic, the coaching staff should consider trying some lineups without the old guard. Benching players who don’t buy into a team philosophy is an old and well-tried tactic. And it works.
The good news is that coach Dusty May seems to be the perfect guy to get this up and running. So let’s see what he has in store for us over the next few weeks. It really all comes down to the fact that if you’re a passing team, you have to play guys who know how to pass.
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