The Mavericks, who made it to the Western Conference championship game last season, have started the new season somewhat bumpy. Although star star Luka Doncic has provided MVP-level stats, the Mavericks currently have only one 50% winning percentage, barely ranking 10th in the Western Conference. And since the beginning of the season,They have also repeatedly lost to teams like the Nuggets, Raptors, Wizards, Pelicans, Magic, and Pistons with no opponent’s main star.。
To reverse the decline, the Mavericks home team recently signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal to sign veteran Kemba Walker, uninterested in the open market during the offseason, to enrich the backcourt depth.
Luca DoncicBehind the data of ghosts and gods Mavericks point guard shortage
It might be a bit of an understatement to call Doncic’s contribution dedicated this season. Averaged 33.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game. Not only the NBA leading scorer, but the Mavericks also top the list for these three stats. This season, there are only the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic and the Raptors’ Pascal Siakam in the league, which shows that the Mavericks heavily depend on him.
And it’s only a quarter of the season,He’s made a 40-point three-pointer three times this season, only trailing Oscar Roberson, a three-point maker.but the season is still very long, and it should be only a matter of time before Doncic surpasses the record of his predecessors.
Additionally, Doncic’s USG% this season is 37.7%, indicating that nearly 40% of the team’s offensive possessions have ended up with him. That figure ranks second in the league this season, second only to the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, and even looking at historical NBA rankings, Doncic can still be ranked eighth in history.
The outside world mostly blames Doncic having to cover the sky with one hand because the Mavericks failed to keep starting point guard Jalen Brunson over the summer break. Brunson was stolen by the Knicks with a lot of money, which is really a big loss for the Mavericks. Especially for the Knicks this season, Brunson averaged 21.0 points and 6.3 assists per game, handing data close to the All-Star level, which highlights how sad it is for the Mavericks to lose him. .
In the vacancy left by Brunson, Spencer Dinwiddie, who filled in for the starter, performed competently enough, averaging 16.3 points and 5.0 assists per game, both of his best since suffering a anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2020. The problem is that the organizing work was originally split between the three, but now only Dinwiddie and Doncic are left to do it, and Brunson’s workload is almost off Doncic.
Additionally, the Mavericks, with three point guards, could keep at least two offensive movers on the field at any point last season. However, after Brunson moved to the team, the Mavericks have had to be led by a single point guard more than half of their games this season. The goal of defensive strategy became more obvious and the ball carrier was more likely to be targeted by the opponent. In other words, Doncic not only has his workload surge this season, but he’s also facing more intense defensive pressure.
It’s not a long-term solution for Doncic to bear the pressure of winning and losing on his own. As mentioned above, his USG% this season ranked eighth in NBA history, and the seven players ahead of him,Excluding Giannis Antetokounmpo this season, none of the remaining six players have managed to win the championship, and five of them even had one round of the playoffs that year.。
Such a phenomenon is not difficult to understand, in the playoffs where the defense decides the outcome, as the sole focus of tactics, often attracts attention, Doncic will undoubtedly be the number one target of the defense.
When he was on the field this season, the team’s offensive efficiency rating was 116.4, ranking among the top three in the league. When he was rested, it dropped to 102.9, which was worse than the Hornets (106.0 ), who were at best bottom of the league. It’s conceivable that once Doncic is down in the playoffs, let alone copy the performance of reaching the Western Conference Finals last season, the Mavericks should have a tough time even making it past the first round of the playoffs.
To sum up, the Mavericks urgently need to step up their point guard skills, and Walker’s arrival is like a well-timed rain.
From All-Star to Ronin Kemba WalkerWhat help can he bring to the Mavericks?
Similar to Doncic and Dinwiddie, Walker is also a combined guard with scoring and organizational skills. Last season, Walker averaged 9.4 points with assists for the team, which is second only to Doncic and Dinwiddie among Mavericks players this season. Walker averaged 21.0 ppg in points and assists per game last season to rank in the top three on the Mavericks this season.
