IZTOK ON KIDD'S DEFENSIVE SYSTEM AND THE ROSTER

[mavsluvr]

Plus, I think we're circling the idea that the aggressive defense might be causing some of the shooting slump, simply because shooting, believe it or not, requires energy. Getting technically sound jump shots off at the rate the Mavs need from guys like Luka, THJ and Brunson requires physicality that I don't know that many fans appreciate. This theory is supported, I think, by the fact that DFS is the first to show signs of righting the ship, percentage wise. Of all the incumbent shooters, he's the most accustomed to giving full effort on the defensive end of the ball in the past, right?

I think there is a lot to this. Also, the energy that DFS needs to expend on offense is way less than that required of the scorers. 


At this point, I am not really buying into the idea that "laziness" is primarily responsible for the Mavs' defensive failures. That seems like a blame-shifting distraction from the probability that this is more of a coaching/front office issue of choosing a scheme poorly suited to the talents of the players and/or choosing players who can't execute the system. 

Kidd is trying to get his players to divert a lot of energy from something they do well to something they don't do well. Now, they are doing neither thing well. I can see how the demoralizing effect of expectations that they can't meet might, in turn, affect their morale/effort, resulting in a spiraling downturn on the court. Hope that isn't really the case.