On Tuesday, the Dallas Mavericks faced the Indiana Pacers for their final game of the season. After embarrassingly losing to the Pacers just over a week prior, the Mavericks were looking to correct their mistakes and earn a well-deserved victory.
After a strong first half on the offensive end, it became clear that the Mavericks needed to make urgent corrections on the defensive end after allowing 74 points at halftime. Unfortunately, not only would the offense slow down for the Mavs, but the defense and they would lose 137-120.
After losing five of his last six matches, it has become abundantly clear that Jason Kidd must change things within the Mavericks rotation before it is too late. The Mavs have now fallen to 23rd in defensive rating, putting them among some of the worst teams in the NBA, like the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers.
The players and coaching staff were quick to announce that effort and rebounding were the Mavericks’ main problem, but it could be deeper than that.
Jason Kidd has always applied a defensive system based on effort. The reason the Mavericks reached the Western Conference Finals in the 2021-22 NBA season was due to their top-five defensive ranking and the fact that everyone bought into the system.
Now the Mavericks have a problem where so much effort is invested in the offensive side of the ball, and very little attention is paid to the defensive side. As Kidd mentioned, the Mavericks’ defense stems from their offense. If the team scores, it will play defense; if they don’t score, defense becomes secondary.
I asked Jason Kidd what he tells his guys if they’re lacking energy or effort:
“Our offense is our defense. When we score, we’ll play defense, and I’m half-joking, but I’m also serious. It’s just a matter of being able to be selfless and make sacrifices. pic.twitter.com/HKp424OYsX
– Noah Weber (@noahweber00) March 6, 2024
Newly acquired center Daniel Gafford has also been another staunch defender of the Mavericks’ lack of effort during this difficult time. Gafford mentioned confidence as one of the team’s major issues, and he might be right. This team has had very little time to practice and gel since the All-Star break, which could explain its recent struggles.
I asked Daniel Gafford what’s wrong with the defense:
“Overall effort and communication. At the end of the day, it’s an overall confidence factor with the team needing to level up, that’s for sure.
Also asked about the contagiousness of his energy. pic.twitter.com/O02rC17YxK
– Noah Weber (@noahweber00) March 6, 2024
Correcting the Mavericks’ lack of effort and getting players on the defensive end to buy in could be the formula to winning games again for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks will have a good opportunity to correct some of their defensive mistakes as they will face the 12th ranked offensive team in the Miami Heat. For more updates on Jason Kidd, Daniel Gafford and Dallas Mavericks basketball, stay tuned.
