Did The Dallas Mavericks ACTUALLY Get Better?
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46 Comments
first clip showed exactly what's wrong with sports media
That clip at the beginning is a fantastic example of why Kenny is so good. No pointless yelling, just insightful opinions.
It’s so insane to me that we’ve gotten to this point where we are actually debating who is a better player derrick jones jr or a F-ing KLAY THOMPSON… crazy what injuries can do man😢😢
Your 2k videos are fun, but you know shit all about hoops 😂
It was gettin pj and gaff. Dwight Powell got off the floor
I think people are vastly overrating what Derrick Jones Jr added to the Mavericks, yes his perimeter defense was great but during that stretch where the Mavericks wen't crazy he barely played 20 minutes a night. The stuff Klay Thompson adds is just unreal, imagine Luka being able to lob to DLive, Gaff or kick it out to PJ, Klay and Kyrie. I know PJ wasn't shooting well last season but his shot looks good and should be around the 38% mark, just like the first 2 years of his career especially with the insane amount of open looks he will get this season.
People blow the 0-10 play-in game from Klay out of proportion. He didn't make shots he normally does and only took 10 of them. I think people who fixate on it didn't watch the game.
How they all have bad arguments 😭
Naji is better than DJJ…DJJ was a minimum contract before he played with Luka. THJ couldnt play in the playoffs and Klay is the replacement. Then you add Grimes who is a plus defender and its really not an argument that they got better.
Somebody gonna punch Riv for talking crazy irl like he on Twitter
They got worse. It’s that simple.
They have one of the most overrated superstars ever and he’s great but he’s too selfish to win, if he can commit to defence then maybe he can win. But as it stands he’s equivalent to peak James Harden.
Klay is washed.
They got worse and it’s not much of a conversation
U failed to mention how deep their bench is now too. They got super young guys who (from what I’ve seen in the preseason games) can actually make an impact. Jaden hardy and jazian gortman are absolute buckets. They got omax prosper who is a big solid wing defender. And they got jamarian sharp who is 7foot5 and a great rim protector at their 3rd string center.
Dallas will be better because they are trying to add some motion offense to their schemes, so their offense isn't so predictable. All they did was run Pick n Roll and ISO, and Boston shut that shit down easily. Klay is a bit overrated, and if he was the player Dallas fans want to believe he was, the Warriors wouldn't have let him go. Klay slipped bad on both sides of the ball, and the Warriors couldn't justify overpaying him to be an inconsistent 2nd scoring option. So, will Dallas be better, yeah, but not necessarily because of Klay, although he will help as a 3rd option. How much better is the real question? We will have to see.
Naji will be the DJJ replacement, and that's a plus for The Mavs. He's a better shooter, playmaker, and just as good on D… Klay will replace THJ, and nobody will say that's a downgrade. Quinten Grimes > Josh Green… They got better on offense and might have gotten better on defense… i dont understand how people dont see that.
I fucking HATE screaming matches about anything, especially sbout such insignificant topics such as the dallas mavericks. Had to skip the clip
People acting like the Mavs didn’t get Naji Marshall AND Quentin Grimes alongside Klay. Like their perimeter defense doubled in power along with their 3 point ability. People saw Klay and ignored everything else.
They got better because Luka started playing defense as well, you cannot have both him and Ky as liabilities on defense. What they needed was firepower to allow Luka to rest with a defensive team like Boston. Dinwiddie will allow Kyrie to rest, so he can close games and is a better defender, this is where the difference will be made, the others just need to be 3 and D.
Djj and washington were very good corner shooters but average to subpar above the break shooters and great defenders.
But, tatum on dallas' centers completely lockdown mavs offense since luka can't penetrate cause boston would just switch dallas PnR and luka or kyrie are forced to take pull up isolation shots late in the shot clock which the celtics prefer all day. The celts center horford or kirstaps will be on djj instead so he can help from the corner.
Now, since the pnr game with lively and gafford are locked up dallas was forced to utilize djj or pj as screeners so luka can get the mismatch or get an advantage driving to the paint. Problem is, djj and pj aren't great rollers so they opt to Pop instead. Problem again is, above the break threes aren't their fortes so boston let them take those. Klay does offer above the break shooting but that's basically it. It's a numbers game at the end.
That said. Djj and pj are both explosive athletes and great onball an offball defenders which are both great cause luka gets blownby 90% of the time. So having like 3 shotblockers waiting made dallas crazy good on defense. Will klay be able to replicate that? Doubt it.
No
i compare this to old ray allen joining the miami heat in the 2010's. klay gonna win the mavs a late playoff game or two
Spencer shooting good in Dallas makes sense.
With Luka setting them up, everyone shoots better
i dont think klay is a replacement for Flight 55. Thats why they got Naji. And boi hes good af at defense
People really need to stop saying Klay is taking DJJ spot and the Mavs are terrible on defense cause of it now, Klay is the replacement for Tim Hardaway Jr, Naji Marshall is the replacement for DJJ and Quentin Grimes is the replacement for Josh Green, in the Finals the problem was Luka gave open shots to DJJ (25% from 3 in the finals) and PJ (27,3%) and they just missed a lot, Naji shot 38.7% last season and i don't need to mention the second best 3 point shooter in NBA history. THJ shot 33,3% from the field in the finals and is just not a very good defender.
The Mav's are about the same on defense even if Klay plays the same defense as last season!
They upgraded their shooting and passing by a lot, Klay had a bad defensive season, but even last season he would still be a lot better than THJ!
Naji is very good defender just like DJJ, even if we give DJJ the edge here, Klay is such a massive upgrade to THJ (3.3ppg, 33,3% shooting form the field in the Finals)
The Mav's are better and it's not even close.
ppl don't know that naji marshall is better at everything that isn't jumping high than djj
“Good defender” and 2024 Klay is a nasty combination. I say this as a warriors fan that probably ain’t miss a game last season lmao
Isn't marshal like one of the best lock down defenders?
No reason to get that heated
Kenny sampled pick a side podcast 🔥🔥
I don’t think ppl know how much of an upgrade a grimes, klay, and naji Marshall is an improvement. All good shooters and defender. Josh green good defender can’t shoot. Tim hardaway contributed nothing. Djj is a slightly better defender than Naji but naji is a better shooter. Lively will develop he was a rookie bro. Gafford and pj are consistent as role players. Dinwiddie probably won’t contribute much but he can defend and play make when needed. Jaden Hardy is a great bench scorer. This team has significantly in abt every aspect of basketball
Them mfs going in tho I love the passion
DJJ was not that nice lmao I think Naji is an upgrade.
I have no idea who these clowns in the first clip are, but I really dont understand why people watch garbage like that
Defense is played with your feet, Klay stopped using his feet.
As a Warriors fan I watched all the games last year. Klay go into a defense stance and then his man would just blow right by him as he stood there.
Klay was already checked out of gs towards the end which I think why his defense sucked
The way them boys scream at each other over people's basketball careers to get a point across makes bo sense to me 💀
62$ for a basic T-shirt targeting teenagers? Have some shame, there's no reason to be selling these shirts and hats for that price. Be better than this Kenny
why does nobody talk about Naji in this conversation…?
Klay, Naji and Quintin are 100% an upgrade over DJJ THJ and josh green. Anyone saying otherwise is either an extreme casual or doesn’t watch mavs basketball to know that the smaller players (1-3) funnel the ball handlers to the paint where the bigs clean up. Klay going to do fine. Nobody in the organization is asking him to be a #1 or #2 scoring option like the warriors were. He’s coming here to be a 3rd scoring option. And last year statistically was just fine for that.
Y’all saying why Gee debating loud has never argued about with sports
As an OKC Fan it was awesome seeing Riv stick up for Thunders expectation of being Championship or Bust 😂
mavs got better 100%, now by how much is all about how good klay can play, mavs defense was great not cuz of djj only, it was a full team effort, obviously losing djj was not ideal but mavs definetly got better
Naji is the obvious DJJ replacement. Idk why its so hard to understand
Mavs added Klay Naji & Grimes. All amazing to above average at worst 3point shooters and defenders even though klay obviously isnt in his prime anymore but he still averaged 18ppg on 39% 9 3pt FGA a game. Great roster and one of the deepest bench ITL. Also spence, great ball handler and can create shots and clutch and was a huge part of that 2022 WCF run. They even have a 7’5 defensive stopper. They were just a few pieces away from beating Boston and I think they’ll be able to this time with hopefully a HEALTHY Luka and Kyrie getting over the hump. Whoever they meet, I think they will beat. I feel like they should and will win it this year💯💯
You’re crazy if you think having Klay wouldn’t have made a larger differnce in the finals. At least two of the games were winnable for Dallas, Klay could’ve made that difference which would make it. 3-1 Dallas
Klay defense hole was really bad for the Warriors who dont have BIGs, Dallas like to funelling the player to play around the bigs on the defense, that's what DJJ and Luka were doing all playoffs.
In all reality the mavs lost the finals because luka cant defend and boston exposed that. They gave the ball to whoever luka was defending and attacked him. Yeah their shooting was lower than average etc. but that is all a effect of boston playing great defense and then making luka work on defense and still not being able to stop the scoring. They are better with klay but it wasnt because they didnt have any shooters.