Dallas Mavericks Journal: new year new team?
Well, the Mavs must have made two New Year resolutions before the clock struck midnight on Dec. 31st. The first, a commitment to actively defend and close possessions out with rebounds. The second, help Luka Doncic find his confidence on the offensive end again. What's shocking, both came true Friday night against the Miami Heat. […]
Well, the Mavs must have made two New Year resolutions before the clock struck midnight on Dec. 31st. The first, a commitment to actively defend and close possessions out with rebounds. The second, help Luka Doncic find his confidence on the offensive end again. What's shocking, both came true Friday night against the Miami Heat.
"I have been struggling a lot, so I was so happy to make that three," Doncic said after the game Friday. "It made my day."
Doncic finished the game with the first Mavericks double-double of the season. He totaled 27 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. And in a fun twist of events, he got to play long-time friend Goran Dragic. Their relationship dates back to winning EuroBasket together when Luka was younger.
"It's a great experience. Especially after we won EuroBasket together," Doncic said. "I learned a lot from him. And it's always special to play against him."
The win over Miami was needed, but that doesn't answer the question of consistency for this team going forward.
The importance of three-point shooting:
The win over Miami marks the second time all season that Doncic hit multiple three-point shots in a single game. Maybe his postgame workout after the embarrassing loss to the Clippers helped sort out his personal shooting slump.
Nothing characterized Doncic finding his groove more than when, late in the first half, he hit a step-back three-pointer. After the perimeter shot went in, Doncic looked to the sky in relief. The three-point make ended a personal 12-shot drought from long range, and it preceded a solid 3-9 night from behind the arc.
When Doncic is making outside jump shots, it opens up the rest of his game. Teams have to respect the fact that his range extends far outside of 30 feet. When defenders honor the shot, Luka can pick and choose where and when he wants to attack. His lack of perimeter shooting is what has hampered the Mavs offense. Teams were no longer selling out to run him off the line. Instead, defenses invited the drives in the hopes that he would settle for difficult and contested two-pointers. Now I am not saying the three-point shot is the end all be all for Doncic, but him making that shot needs to be a large facet of his game if the Mavs hope to win.
Deep range is necessary:
That is the nature of the NBA – teams have to honor his range when he is making these types of shots.
Think about what made the Houston Rockets such a dangerous team. It wasn't just that James Harden had the ball in his hands at a ridiculous rate. It was also that Harden's lethal jump shot made him impossible to guard. With Harden, defenses have to sell out to 40 feet, or he'll drop 50 on them. Harden's efficiency from outside of the arc is what makes him impossible to guard. If Dallas hopes to construct a similar team around Doncic, he needs to make three-point jumpers at an extremely efficient rate in order for the Mavs to win games.
Harden and Doncic are similar in playstyle, Luka just needs to find his efficient outside jumper.
Defense sets the tone:
The Mavs held the heat to 83 points. That is the second-lowest point total allowed all season by this team. Yes, it was a mix of good defense and bad misses by Miami, but that's also the nature of basketball. Teams have to get lucky sometimes.
What made this game different, however, was the commitment to having active energy on the defensive side of the ball. For long stretches, during the game, the Mavs actually looked engaged, as if the team cared about stopping the guys in front of them. From this team, that's rare. And perhaps this means the defense is turning the corner, but I wouldn't bet on it. The effort is inconsistent. The Clippers' win, to Hornets' loss, is a prime example. This level of effort has to been seen over multiple games before Mavs fans should buy into it.
Nonetheless, the Mavs won which makes this New Year's season a bit sweeter. Here is to the 2021 calendar year being a bit kinder to this team that now sits at 2-3. Now, it's on to the Chicago Bulls.
Feature image via Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
