Can The New Look Mavs’ Defense Become A Strength Of The Team? | The Get Right

Can The New Look Mavs’ Defense Become A Strength Of The Team? | The Get Right

They they beat down not a great team in the San Antonio Spurs but they they get a you know a definitive win I mean they win by 20 plus points last night and so with that being the case it was it was something that I found very interesting

Blake right 116 to 93 is the final score it’s a I mean your tent poles that you know are going to bring offense Luca donic Kyrie Irving but it actually really felt like it was a defensive Le effort obviously again the Spurs they can go on cold streaks and those types

Things but Victor wiama came out strong and was hitting early and then he cooled even though he did not play a ton of minutes he’s been playing kind of relatively limited minutes at that but the head coach of this um Dallas Mavericks basketball team um kind of talked about the Improvement that you’ve

Seen defensively and he actually talked about PJ Washington saying quote he’s guarding everyone he’s guarding them at a high level so that gives us depth to be able to play him on bigs or bigger wings or even smalls so to just see that here in a short time his defense is

Above par we need that defensively I think he and Maxi give us something we can definitely use going down the stretch here and so you have that PJ Washington uh was switched onto wmi and that’s when you really saw him kind of slow down on top of that I found this

Really interesting BL they’re they’ve been 4-0 since the trade deadline if you look at defensive ratings since the trade deadline which again one week we can only do so much however where do you think the the the Mavericks rank defensive rating since the trade deadline numo uno number one and by a

Large margin they their defensive rating is 100.7 the number two team is the Phoenix Suns with 107.3 like a good seven-point difference thereabouts um in defensive rating that’s huge distinction now of course haven’t played you’ve played a couple of teams that aren’t that good good but you’ve done an incredible job so with

All that being the case Blake could this be a great defense on the low down the stretch for these mans yeah so I am I’m I’m in the space where I’m trying to be cautious and giving them the great label yet I I think I I think it’s safe to say

That it’s improved and I’ll even go to what Derrick Livy had to say about PJ after the game he said he’s been a pest talking about PJ Washington he’s been a pest he’s been exactly what we needed he’s exceeded everything he’s able to talk he’s always in passing Lanes he’s

Always trying to cover somebody’s back that’s what we need his energy and effort out there are amazing and so as much as I am being cautious with calling him a great defense sure PJ Washington’s effort and hustle I don’t think is something that’s just going to come and

Go yes that’s something that you can kind of put some some stock into you can put some bets into as far as just him hustling being in the passing Lanes I think it I think it’s quite interesting with PJ Washington has only played 888 minutes for the Dallas Mavericks in

Those 88 Minutes they’ve outscored opponents by 51 points these are just PJ Washington being on the court what the impact is and in that stretch the Mavs are shooting 29% from three and 52% from the field but they’re holding opponents to shooting 37% from the field and 23%

From three so he’s not giving you the box score maybe numbers that people were looking for the 20 a game which is cool and I think will come yeah the shooting definitely has been a struggle form him but but I think like you mentioned how

He guarded wimy was like was great I was watching just I I rewatched the game and just watched him guarding wiby is they did that a lot in the second half and him being able to match up and be uh physical with them and then also getting

Some uh blocks and being in the passing Lanes I think it’s something that you’re going to see improve more and more and more and that’s not even talking about Luca who I think has taken great strides in his defensive prowess I’m not calling him a two-way kawh Leonard or anything

But I he is no longer if you call Luca a cone or a weak Defender then you’re just not watching basketball anym I really don’t know what to say I’m not saying he’s a top five Defender but they pulled up plenty of metrics ISO Defenders post Defenders spot up Defenders and he ranks

Top 10 in all three of those I’m not taking those to the bank and saying he’s the best I’m just saying he’s improved more than 0.1 like he has shown a great Improvement Kyrie Irving’s all over the Steals and whatnot in that OKC game they held them to shooting just 38% in the

Washington game 41% and in the Spurs game 36% I don’t know how many times we’ve seen the mass play defense over this stretch so well and that’s not even talking about the um the rebounding the Mavs had one game where they had 50 plus rebounds over the over the 52 with PJ

And Daniel Gafford they’ve yet to have a game below 50 rebounds right and so these are the things that I’m starting to look at as you know I I have been pretty tepid about the the ways in which this defense defensive ability can really shift with a couple of moves

Moves but over the four games we’ve seen we’ve seen that kind of show up and there there’s a couple of things PJ Washington I mean you mentioned how well he played against Victor wanyama a young player but he poses really significant challenges he he can really guard one

Through five like that’s not exaggerated right and so like the ways in which okay if you can if you can guard pretty comfortably a guy who poses those kind of problems like what then do you see against anyone else any other great player in the league right like I do

Think that that means that you have a player that is capable of giving any of those players a little bit of a challenge which is I think that’s really the expectation when you talk about high level defense in the league at this point especially considering how good

Players in the league are offensively if you can give them a challenge you’ve done something here right and so I I think PJ Washington is showing that in addition to being able to like and as I think you kind of alluded to make some little plays where you poke the ball

Here or you get in passing Lanes or you know those types of things um and then also also you also have Daniel Gafford who I don’t want to leave out here because this game yesterday with the Washington Wizards it gave you an opportunity to see something that we

Were looking forward to which is the two energetic Rim protecting or capable of Rim protecting bigs that you have there and what you were able to see is like at any given time they were pretty much on the floor and it made it so that getting

To the paint against this Mass team was not as easy easy and more importantly they picked up a lot of rebounds as you alluded to and one of the things that this team needed to do was cap off defensive possessions right defense is only so good as you finishing off The

Possession which is getting the rebound if after a miss these guys they used to be terrible at that awful awful at that you had many many games where luuka donic was your best rebounder understanding that he is not going to be he’s not going to be a guy who’s down

Low and then also if he’s getting a rebound it probably means that you know some people left everybody did not crash those types of things these guys getting rebounds it doesn’t matter if they if you send folks in they can contend for rebounds and you’re able to really you

Know end possessions and not give Second Chance points which ends up being an issue and then on top of that and I believe um it might have been something that Jason kid said at one point is What’s Happening Here In addition to this is now these or actually was it’s

Talk Franco writes for d magazine fantastic basketball writer wrote the idea that what Washington and Gafford will do also is that they just push more flawed defensive players off the floor more often so some of this is not even just about what they intrinsically bring themselves but the difference between

The deficit that you had before like imagine having Dwight Powell on the floor compared to Daniel Gafford is not just the difference of Daniel Gafford to the average it’s the difference of Daniel Gafford from Dwight Powell when he’s on the floor against bigs that are tough or Jaden Hardy or Tim Hardway or

Seth Curry like those guys are now not on the floor nearly as much to for other teams to attack and now you have guys that are not easy to attack I think that this really shifts the way that this defense is situated and and I think another part kind of talking about how

The rotation works now Maxi kba is is using his best role as like a four and then a stretch five if you need to go small and whatnot he’s not like hey we need you to be live was at the lineup and we really need you to really be the

Five for pretty much the whole game he can come in in spots and play his role correctly Derrick Jones Jr does not have to be the second tallest second tallest dude out there trying to contend for rebounds against some of these bigger guys he can play the three most of the

Time with PJ out there or Maxi out there at the four and then Lively or Gafford at the five so I think it does slot guys in a lot better and you’re going to see the best Derrick Jones Jr because now he has two guys that are tall them on the

Floor continuing for rebounds and he can help and kind of get those tip out rebounds and you have Maxi CA that can stretch the floor knock down shots and also his defense I want to take a moment to his defense has been really good since he’s come back he’s he’s been

Really good at a guy that can switch a guy that can close out um he’s he’s always been a solid Defender and my issue when people talked about maxic Clea in previous years people talked about him like he was Kevin Garnett like he was an anchor and he’s not but one

One thing that he is is a defensive player or a player that has enough defense that especially if he’s in the right circumstances and surrounded by other players that can play defense it can shine and I think that’s some of what you’ve done here right and 817 I

Know Seth Curry isn’t on the floor because he’s traded that’s part of the point is now you have some of these guys that are on the floor instead of the guys that were previously on the floor that were flawed in the ways that they play but yeah maxic kleba absolutely in

The context right I think that if Grant Williams was still here I understand like we don’t have to go down that road necessarily but if Grant Williams was still here in this context it makes him better as well because again I don’t know that you have you I don’t know that

You have a player that’s like defensively I am going to be this level of great every time do but the more that you have guys around each other that are good defensively they kind of amplify each other in their defensive I think we saw this quite quickly PJ and Gafford

Were on two losing teams for pretty much most of their career Gafford with the bulls and wizards and uh PJ’s always been with Charlotte those teams have never really won I think that that Gafford bull Team I think they might have made the playoffs and want and

Played a couple games but they were never really contending yeah I think he has like four games in the playoffs he is now on a team that I’m not saying there’s a onec but they’re contending they have a top five player they have Kyrie who is looking like an All-Star

Snub at this point the way he’s been playing this month and like they I think it’s a reinvigoration in them like hey I can play my role and I can be on a championship roster rather than just put up empty stats and just do this like if

I go get rebounds and Outlet pass and play good defense we could be making a deep playoff rush and I think they realize that and they’re not trying to do too much you don’t see PJ and gaffer just chucking up shots left and right

Like I I want PJ to shoot I want him to get confident and and I think that will come in Gafford every time he puts up a shot it feels like a high quality shot cuz he’s right around the rim and I’m like hey you get the rebound big boy go

Put it back up and he’s shooting pretty high efficiency right now for the team so I like everything that new guys are bringing it’s not the flash that I think some people wanted in a Kyle kosma or Jeremy Grant or Barnes or seak which at first we didn’t even think about these

Guys remember when we first first were doing the St we didn’t even think about them didn’t know they were available and what not and the closest we got to it I was like this is kind of the right remedy they needed defense and rebounding and guys that know the role

And want to excel in that high energy defensive rebounding role uh on the truck w.com text line somebody asked does Gafford have the same switchability as say like a Nick Claxton and no but it’s like that’s going to be something that is going to be a possible weak

Point if when he is on the floor but I think one thing that you have situated and right now he’s still starting I think Derek Lively probably is your starter or maybe situationally you guys you can move them because I think you’ve made note of this a lot they are two

Bigs that have energy that can you know really contend at The Rim but they also have different strengths Gafford A Little Bit Stronger of a guy a little bit older has a little bit more experience in understanding kind of the tricks of the trade as a center and so I

Imagine IM that if you have maybe more more plotting A Little Bit Stronger bigs he can contend with them maybe a little bit better than Lively but Lively seems to have a lot more lateral quickness a little bit more foot speed and so he can get out closer to the perimeter and

Guard out that and I think that you have two guys that provide you together an opportunity to match up pretty nicely with most bigs in this league I I think when we got Gaff I think a lot of people wanted him to be a perfect Center and

The reality is he’s a backup center so he’s going to have some deficiencies he’s not going to be he’s not yage he’s not going to be a plus and everything he gave you what you needed rebounding defense brute strength in the middle and you still have a a now I was about to

Say 19y rookie 20-year-old that’s right get it right derck livey just had his birthday the other day that you still can play as well so you’re going to play them to their strengths and weaknesses and hopefully Jason kid will know who’s on the floor and and play the the

Correct person like you’re going to see when ran Holmes is out ran Holmes when Daniel Gaff there we go when Daniel gaffer is out there it’s going to be a lot more drop coverage on those screens he’s not going to be stepping up on there cuz he’s not laterally quick

Enough to get and cover the The Backs side of the rim so when there’s a guard that can’t shoot that well that’s doing a lot of pick and rolls Gafford you won’t see it won’t be that bad if he’s out there when SGA is out there you

Probably won’t see that much of him in the in the picking rooll because SGA will be able to shoot the mid-range and kind of pick that apart but Lively I think is going to be a great supplement to them hopefully and think about this this is what I think Nick anstead of

Locked on Mavs pointed this out and this is a good point think about who drick Lively outside of Tyson Chandler who’s outside the game has to lean on for Center expertise Dwight pal and Maxi CLE love those guys wouldn’t say they’re exactly the prototypical center you now

Have Daniel Gafford you can kind of lean on for oh post moves and and working against the guys in the post so I think Derek Lively is going to get even better and they can kind of feed off of each other so I I I don’t see this being a

Minus in any way you’re not asking gaffer to play All 48 and be perfect he’s going to give you his strength and then Lively will supplement it and then you got you got Josh Green stepping up on the defensive side you got PJ Wat Washington Luka playing good defense

Kyrie sneakily plays good defense he’s not going to stand in front of someone and lock him down and body them up he’s still a small guard Kyrie plays good defense the good defense of a bad guard or like a bad defensive guard I’ll get i’ll take and it’s it’s one of my pet

Peeves as a as a basketball fan like the idea that oh man look at all these steals they’re good at defense steals are not necessarily indicative good defense because a lot of times it’s gambles but he has been good at getting in the passing Lanes getting Steals and

That way and that’s that’s useful and it’s helpful for sure I’ll take a poke every once in a while I’m not right okay all right what I’m not asking Kyrie to be the glove or anything sure but Kyrie and Luca two years ago would anybody

They were both cones yeah yeah I I think that’s fair okay so with that all this being said we’ve we’ve really waxed poetic about this you know New Look Mavs team 4-0 since the trade deadline of course one of those games did not really include the new guys but still right 4-0

Since the trade deadline literally the best defensive rating since then but again four game sample size is not very big and I imagine I don’t look I don’t want to speak for you do you think they’re going to go undefeat it for the rest of the season I don’t know man I’m

Going I’m going on a a real I know they can only lose nine more games to win 50 I’m going on a real ledge here saying they’re not going to go undefeated the rest of the season but with that being the case right like I understand people

Hesitant to talk about it being a great defense but like what what do we think it can be now looking forward cuz now we’ve gotten a little bit more of some sample and it’s not it’s a sample against some teams that aren’t the greatest necessarily but what do we now see because they’ve

Looked way better than I anticipated they would look defensively even this quickly not having like all of these things together I I think the biggest thing now and Jason kid I think talk about this in the first or second game you’re just very switchable now were in

A SP in a space before where if guys was set picking rolls you were like oh gosh we got this guy on that PJ and Luca they can they can switch and one be on a guard one be on a big it’s not the end of the world now do I want gaffer

Guarding my point guard probably not but outside of that you become very you can put a lot of different combinations you can put Derrick Jones Jr and Josh and and Hardy and PJ and Gaff out there I feel like he’s still got a pretty good defensive line I just outside of maybe

The Clippers who have a lot of ball handlers that can get creative and a lot of space makers other than that there’s a lot of team I think you match up decently with now like the Nuggets I don’t think you’re going to shut them down and they’re not going to score

Anymore but I think better than before you just you feel a lot more comfortable going into it with the defensive matchups you can go throw out there with maxi and Gafford and Lively and green and drick Jones and PJ like there’s just a lot of different things you can do you

Can go small ball we haven’t even seen PJ at the small ball five which Nico and Jason kid both said they want to introduce it somewh so like there’s a lot of different variabilities that we have now when I felt like we were very one-dimensional on the offensive and

Defensive side of the ball I feel like on both rounds we’ become a little bit more Versed

Ever since blowing a massive lead to the Milwaukee Bucks a few weeks ago, the Mavs haven’t lost, and have been playing excellent defense along the way. The Get Right looks at the defensive pieces the team has now and if it can become a team strength.

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