THE Dallas Mavericks have been playing their best basketball of the season over the past few weeks. They won a series of victories, including an emphatic victory against the Phoenix Suns upon their return from the All-star break, before stumbling upon the beginnings of their Eastern Conference road trip. Against the Toronto Raptors Wednesday, and even during their dramatic defeat against Cleveland Cavaliers the night before, the potential of the Mavericks is clear. That’s also why this is Jason Kidd’s biggest opportunity. But that was the case not so long ago.
The deepest dregs of any NBA season, December and January, became the winter of discontent for the Mavericks. After collecting four straight wins in early December, the Mavericks fell off, winning just 11 of their next 26 games before the February streak. It wasn’t just a bad play: The Mavericks were ravaged by injuries to key players, both supporting and stars. Their most used lineup before the trade deadline, a group that hadn’t even logged 100 minutes together, didn’t come close to the minutes logged by most playoff-caliber teams. And the second most used lineup only played 63 minutes together. This lack of continuity adds up, and that’s what happened here.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25311497/2046194046.jpg)
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
But there were gaps on the roster, and thanks to some nifty moves by Nico Harrison at the deadline and health returning to most of the rotation, the Mavericks look completely different. The addition of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford means the team can play bigger, longer and more athletic in the front court. The team is also playing faster: from October to January, the Mavericks, who have already greatly improved their pace of play compared to last season, were 10th in the championship with 100.7 possessions every 48 minutes. In February, that number increased to 102.5 possessions, which placed him 8th in the league during that span. And while the defense can often remain suspect, it has improved over the past four weeks – a defensive rating of 111.3 (9th in the league).
The potential is there. With Dante Exum returning from injury Wednesday night, Jason Kidd can play two-deep at every position. He has the flexibility to mix and match bench weapons which can skew towards more offensive or defensive weapons. And while rookie Derrick Lively II continues to prove he’s the foundational big man, the Mavericks now have Gafford to provide spot-up starting support — or to turn to Maxi Kleber at center in small-ball situations.
They may not be full-fledged contenders yet, but they are talented enough to pose an annoying threat to most teams in a seven-game series. This alone represents a considerable improvement over their game in the winter. If this version of the Mavericks had remained, if Harrison hadn’t made the moves he did at the deadline, Jason Kidd would have had fewer opportunities and, frankly, less pressure to produce. It would be easy to point out the health of the roster and the inadequacy of several key rotational positions. Those spots have been filled, however, and this team is playing like it hasn’t in quite some time. Health will likely be a key deciding factor for however long this season lasts, and the Western Conference is loaded with talented teams. But the tools are there for Kidd to prove all the doubters wrong and seize the opportunity to lead this team to another deep playoff run.
