GAME 5 Playoffs 2024: Dallas Mavericks (2-2) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (2-2)

[michaeltex]

He is definitely our primary POA defender.  The issue is whether he can shoot well enough to stick in the starting/finishing lineup long term.  It doesn't help that PJ is not a great shooter either.  I think in an ideal world we replace one of them with a better shooter who is equally as good defensively.  I think it will be easier to replace DJJ (and we may not have a choice).

I agree that's a concern.

But I think they will go into the summer knowing they have a role here with specific goals on what to improve. They both have the goldfish mindset so just getting their shooting skills up enough to keep defenses honest will make a huge difference. For me, replacing them isn't a goal, although retaining DJJ certainly is a key for the offseason.

Apart from the referee thing, I think having good enough shooters to keep the defense balanced was the main difference between 2006 and 2011. This team isn't terrible, but just a little increase in reliability from PJ and DJJ would turn this roster into something truly awesome.