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The Mavericks defense has fallen off a cliff this season. Numerous analysts are trying to get to the bottom of the situation, which I am sorry to believe is severe and complex enough to merit its own thread. 

Iztok of MMB has broken down the elements of the drop-off in the linked article, which has verbal description supplemented by videos. 

Main takeaways --

The defense is in deep trouble.

The defense was highly rated in the first weeks of the season. Was that a fluke? Yes. Breaking it down, the defense was not all that good. Bit of a lucky streak. 

KP, DP, and WCS are all fouling at a much higher rate than they did last season. 

The Mavs are very bad at protecting the rim. 

The Mavs' drop coverage in the pick and roll is not working. This is not limited to Dallas. It's the case league-wide. Offenses have figured out how to overcome that defense. The Mavs realize that, and have tried different coverages. But KP does not have the mobility to show, hedge, trap, or switch. 

KP does not communicate well on defense. This may be because he is not sure what he is supposed to be doing himself, let alone instructing his teammates. Trying to run aggressive pick and roll coverage with KP just results in miscues. 

KP is not the only problem. Maxi and Dwight also look substantially worse than they did last season, possibly because they haven't fully recovered from the virus, and in Dwight's case, injury. 

However, KP is by far the biggest problem. His rim protection and help defense aren't what they used to be. Carlisle is using WCS and Powell as more mobile defenders in the PNR. Willie is the most mobile defender, but plays limited minutes for good reasons. 


Solutions

Short-term. Do everything possible to help KP recover his agility and explosiveness. KP's performance on defense will define the team's ceiling.

Long-term. If this is the permanent version of KP, that's a real problem. Teams are targeting KP defensively. With Luka as the main piece of the puzzle, the second star can't be one that has to be hidden in some type of defensive scheme.  

https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2021/2/17/22285940/the-dallas-defense-is-in-trouble?utm_campaign=mavsmoneyball&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

I wonder how much of our defense is affected by the schemes of the newly hired defensive coordinator...?

Great article. MavsMoneyball has been red hot. Listening to After Dark is usually quite cathartic.

(02-17-2021, 10:13 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: [ -> ]newly hired defensive coordinator

I wonder if that new guy from UTA is scheming as though KP is Gobert....and what we are seeing is that it doesn't work like that because Gobert is way better....?

(02-17-2021, 10:31 AM)Kammrath Wrote: [ -> ]I wonder if that new guy from UTA is scheming as though KP is Gobert....and what we are seeing is that it doesn't work like that because Gobert is way better....?

Don´t think so. The Mavs defense looked completly different prior to KPs return. Hard hedge or switch the pick and roll. Switch offball screens on the perimeter.
I think they tried to adjust because KP obviously cannot do those things. It didn´t work out and now they are trying to get back to the schemes that worked earlier in the season.
Problem is that KP still cannot do those things.

https://theathletic.com/2373293/2021/02/...ytics-nba/

"The elephant in the room has been the play of Porzingis. Dallas traded for him to be the second star needed alongside Doncic.  After an up and down first season with growing pains early, followed by Porzingis earning “All-Bubble” honors for his play during the restart, it hasn’t really worked this year. The big Latvian is putting up some solid individual offensive stats, and lineups pairing Doncic and Porzingis have scored a very robust 120.1 points/100 according to Cleaning the Glass. But Dallas has still been outscored with that pairing on the floor, giving up 120.7/100.

That gets us to the apparent root of the problem: Porzingis is not having anything close to the defensive impact he had at earlier points in his career. While lineups featuring Porzingis and either Maxi Kleber or Willie Cauley-Stein have, just barely, tread water giving up 115.7/100. In lineups that better match the idealized version of the Mavs with Doncic and Porzingis joined by three wing- or guard-sized players, they are giving up an ungodly 128.4/100. Some of that ugliness is bad luck. Opponents are shooting 45.7 percent from 3 and 51.4 percent on long 2s against those lineups, demonstrably unsustainable rates. But even applying techniques to “luck-adjust” for that kind of shotmaking, this is by far the worst defensive season of Porzingis’ career.

Part of the reason lineups featuring a second big may have done better is that Porzingis has been something of a “reverse Lopez” on the defensive glass, whereby he does a decent job grabbing his share of boards, without seeming to do much to move the needle as far as the team’s overall performance goes. After what appears to be a slight upward blip last year, this year his rebounding has been as non-impactful as ever. Perhaps the most worrying single stat is the apparent decline in rim protection. After being among or at least close to the league’s elite as a help defender at the rim, Porzingis is allowing a very middling 58.0 percent on close shots according to NBA.com data. League average for centers is typically in the 57 percent range, with higher-end performers generally around or just below 50 percent."

I just want everyone to know that the Nets have a better defense (ranked 26th) than the Mavs (27th)....yeah.

(02-17-2021, 10:13 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: [ -> ]I wonder how much of our defense is affected by the schemes of the newly hired defensive coordinator...?

I suppose the Mavs would have to take a look at that. 

It seems that he hasn't been able to come up with a scheme that these players can execute. That's not necessarily his fault. 

He has three bigs who are not the players they used to be on the defensive end. Maybe the healing process will ultimately take care of that. If, however, what we see is what we get, that would appear to be a significant problem. I haven't given up on any of them yet. 

In addition, complex defensive schemes require time and practice to implement. It seemed like they were doing a decent job of carrying out the schemes until KP came back and was just unable to be effective. 

They keep trying new things. They don't seem to have hit on anything that works on a consistent basis, and the situation is getting worse, not better. Maybe very simple defenses are all that this group can handle. I hope not.

More from Iztok's twitter --

Poor PNR defense is at the heart of the current problems. 

High foul rate is directly connected to big men being a step slow. 

Mavs are defending the PNR higher, which has led to way worse rim protection. 

Rim protection is down for all the bigs. But last season, the team counted on KP to clean up a lot of mistakes at the rim. This year, he's just not there. 

The team is trying different PNR coverages, but there are too many communication lapses. 

The good news is that the squad has several days off.

The core of the issue is that KP isn't as active on the defensive end.

I think he can return to his previous level (the one where the Mavs were +12 against opponents with Luka/DFS/THJ/KP/Powell; and +7 where KP was the lone big Luka/Curry/THJ/DFS/KP).

Think about it. KP had surgery in October. It required him to sit out at least 8-12 weeks of no activity. So thats November/December and a bit of January if not all. The Mavs get rocked with COVID and have a terrible start. So the Mavs rush KP to return to stop the bleeding. When did he have time to get in shape??? He didn't.

He's working his way there. He's obviously more inclined to fix his offense first before his defense because that's just who he is. But I think (I hope) that come the break, when KP has time to get some conditioning, the Mavs defense will be much improved.

Carlisle referred to Mosley as “our defensive guy” the other day, so I’m not even sure Guthrie has all that much to do with this season’s defense. I was pretty surprised by that. Maybe there has even been a change since the season started?

I believe Mosley is the one who came up with the defensive belt thing and he's the one who gives it out every game too.

This little mini break from playing hopefully is just what this team needs to get back on track.

Our defense looked awesome until our high end defenders like DFS, Maxi and Richardson got COVID and had to miss time and look like lesser version of their previous selves upon returning.   Hard to do an apples to apples comparison to Richardson from this year to last year consider he's changed supporting cast, but Maxi and DFS have certainly regressed from where they were last year imo. 

If you're just using deductive reasoning, I think it's hard to not deduce that having a moderate COVID is not just like having a flu that you get over in 2 weeks.   Let's remember that Gobert was still claiming he felt effects from COVID in late June after getting infected in March. 

 It's also the least rewarding answer from a fan's perspective, because there's no clear person to blame or obvious fix. 

(02-18-2021, 08:50 AM)HanspardShowerVoice Wrote: [ -> ]Our defense looked awesome until our high end defenders like DFS, Maxi and Richardson got COVID and had to miss time and look like lesser version of their previous selves upon returning.   Hard to do an apples to apples comparison to Richardson from this year to last year consider he's changed supporting cast, but Maxi and DFS have certainly regressed from where they were last year imo. 

If you're just using deductive reasoning, I think it's hard to not deduce that having a moderate COVID is not just like having a flu that you get over in 2 weeks.   Let's remember that Gobert was still claiming he felt effects from COVID in late June after getting infected in March. 

 It's also the least rewarding answer from a fan's perspective, because there's no clear person to blame or obvious fix. 

I'm getting really close to being fully over the effects. It's been since about Jan 18th since I started feeling the symptoms. I had a mild case of it like what seems JRich, Powell and DFS had. Maxi had a bad case of it which means he had to probably be on oxygen to keep his body going. It'll probably take at least twice as long for him to get over it as he had it worse and started further behind than the rest.

I still can't breathe in fully, which means I can't get enough oxygen in my body if I had to sprint constantly, change directions on a dime, bang with big bodies. Sucks that this is happening to our guys, but it's the reality of this disease.

(02-18-2021, 10:00 AM)ItsGoTime Wrote: [ -> ]I'm getting really close to being fully over the effects. It's been since about Jan 18th since I started feeling the symptoms. I had a mild case of it like what seems JRich, Powell and DFS had. Maxi had a bad case of it which means he had to probably be on oxygen to keep his body going. It'll probably take at least twice as long for him to get over it as he had it worse and started further behind than the rest.

I still can't breathe in fully, which means I can't get enough oxygen in my body if I had to sprint constantly, change directions on a dime, bang with big bodies. Sucks that this is happening to our guys, but it's the reality of this disease.

Good to hear you're getting better. 

Right.  And it's like if they're having lingering problems with their energy levels and conditioning, they can maybe hide it on offense better.  Especially since Luka is so ball dominant, and there's a good amount of standing in your spot waiting for the pass.  But defense requires so much raw effort and everyone has to move and switch and provide help.  If you're Maxi and you're in any way comprimised and you're having to chase a freak like Zion around the floor, it's going to show.

(02-17-2021, 09:52 AM)mavsluvr Wrote: [ -> ]The Mavericks defense has fallen off a cliff this season. Numerous analysts are trying to get to the bottom of the situation, which I am sorry to believe is severe and complex enough to merit its own thread. 
.... 

Insightful stuff ML.  When I look at the post I see how often you are citing the center position as a key part of defensive problem.  This is directly related to what I've been posting about every season as to the 5 position in Rick Carlisle teams.  Its the key difference maker if all things are relatively equal so to speak among the 1-4 positions.  
See my post here about about the Mavs center position usage in the Rick Carlisle era, as part of the Boban watch discussion.  
The 5 position is the big ?.  KP? WCS? Kleber? post injury  DP?   Frontline used to be solidly 4,5 but now the 4 is kind of wild card position because teams, esp. Carlisle teams, may play a wing there these days as quick as they would a PF.  That position has become like a swing position. 

Defense is hard to come by the way the league is calling fouls today. 

Yes, you want great wing/perimeter defenders but the problem is great wing defense has to be able to stay on the floor when fouls are going consistently to favor the offense, particularly the star guards and wings.  

The center then has to cover at the rim and they have to pick and choose their spots to stay out of foul trouble as well.  The refs simply call the game differently today, drastically so when it comes to the charge/block.  

Drivers have much more freedom to drive their shoulder and body into what used to be a legally positioned defender.  It's not even traditional basketball where a driving player had to get around a defender.  Big wings like Harden and Lebron benefit the most.  Luka should benefit as well and he does but he also played International ball where they still had to be clever and get around their man more.  

So what about the Mavs defense?  I also connect defense to rebounding since clearly it directly impacts defense and offense.   Who is the Mavs ideal solution at 5?  KP is your #2 star so he has to play and he has to get usage.  5 seems to be RC desire so let's take him as example 1st.
  
KP can be a great shot blocker at 5 but that is very demanding to do consistently. 
The 5 also has to be a strong rebounder or the team obviously get pounded there. 

KP has to do it and keep it up with his fragile injury history and body type and still be a great 2-way force because they need his offense.  He often has to do it without the protection of another quality defensive rim protector and rebounder since Mavs often don't play a big as the 4. 

Just going down the line, the Mavs made a decisive effort to shore up their perimeter/wing defense sacrificing to get Josh and black belt James.  IF those guys play well, they still need rim protection behind them at times.

(02-17-2021, 10:30 AM)SweetFidelia Wrote: [ -> ]Great article. MavsMoneyball has been red hot. Listening to After Dark is usually quite cathartic.

After any particularly frustrating loss, I find listening to Kirk's rant oddly calming, lol.

(02-18-2021, 01:41 PM)mavsluvr Wrote: [ -> ]After any particularly frustrating loss, I find listening to Kirk's rant oddly calming, lol.

oh, yes. I meant it well...if that is possible...as in purging the anger from my soul by sharing their angst.  My wife tells me I shouldn’t use big words.  She may have a point.

(02-19-2021, 12:26 AM)SweetFidelia Wrote: [ -> ]oh, yes. I meant it well...if that is possible...as in purging the anger from my soul by sharing their angst.  My wife tells me I shouldn’t use big words.  She may have a point.

I understood what you were saying, SF. "Cathartic" was the perfect word.