A Few Thoughts on Mavs 114, Kings 110

[dirkfansince1998]

But can someone please explain what THJ is doing at 0:30, 1:08 or 9:20?

I will try. Mavs are used to switch everything when there is a screen. So in the first and third case THJ is going for a switch, but the other player is not. Therefor a Sac player was left completely open. Lack of communication and generaly bad defense. I noticed several times in this game Mavs are switching even if a screen is just faked, leading to mismatches.

Second case is an example of bad Mavs PnR defense. Center never goes up to help the guard fighting through a screen. This time THJ decided to go below leading to a wide open shot. If he would go above the screen, he would come behind his player leaving KP defend two guys. I said before, our PnR defense is bad. JaVales of the world always look monsters against Mavs.

Thanks for this analysis, omahen. 

As you mention, these aren't isolated issues. What do you see as the best big-picture solution for these problems?

The defensive strategies aren't very good? Players need to be taught to communicate better? Players need to be taught to make better decisions? The scheme is the best they can do, given the roster, but they aren't going to do much better without higher-quality defensive personnel? Players have already been trained up, but they're just ignoring instructions/not paying attention? Some combination of various factors?

I don´t know ho many times I have mentioned the Mavs defensive decline under Mosley but I will probably continue to do so until he is gone. He has been the defensive coordinator for the last two years and it seems like the entire team still  isn´t sure what they are supposed to do. They randomly go over/under, hedge/ice or switch the pick and roll.

I also noticed that the Mavs do not pre rotate nearly as much as the elite defensive teams like Miami, Boston or Toronto. Leading to less help defense around the rim.
It seems like the defensive focus is similar to the offensive one. 3-point shooting. Or in this case defending the 3-point line.
Watching Boston or the Rockets for example they have the weakside defender (ideall Smart and RoCo) playing free safety. Both have incredible instincts and can guard 1-4 or 1-5.
That´s the kind of player the Mavs are missing. We have a rim protector but we do not have an defensive anchor. Someone that quarterbacks the defense and covers the mistakes of his teammates.

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Guys could also need more time together to really gel together on defensive end. Miscommunication might also be a consequence of not knowing each other enough. Check this thing of beauty, how GSW protected Curry. At 5:50. It took time to gel this good on defense.

Now we just need to upgrade the entire perimeter defense because right now we need to protect THJ, Doncic, Burke, Seth, Jackson and probably even DFS.