04-19-2021, 11:44 AM
Tim Cato has a new Athletic article delving into the question of what is wrong with the Mavericks.
His conclusions --
-- The team is too dependent on Luka for scoring. Luka creates good looks for his teammates, and they too often don't convert.
-- The team relies on at least two of KP, Hardaway, and Brunson -- maybe also Richardson -- to have 20-point games from night to night. That often works, but also often doesn't, and is a hallmark of a lower seed playoff team.
-- Richardson, signed as the stopper of point guards, is not used to guard those players. Instead, you have situations like DFS on Fox.
-- The team is not deep enough. Carlisle has relied mostly on seven players since the ASB. Luka and KP have been given occasional rest games, but the others have mostly played around 30 mpg, and fatigue is surfacing as a factor in performances.
-- A deadline trade produced Melli and Redick, who are barely getting playing time.
-- DFS and other players are being asked to do too much, both in terms of physical output and roles played.
-- Three-point percentage has plummeted.
Above all, his essential takeaway is that the roster has not improved, as a practical matter, since 2019, except for Luka's individual growth. He analyzes several transactions, to show that movement has been, at best, lateral.
https://theathletic.com/2528764/2021/04/...-improved/
Are these points justified?
His conclusions --
-- The team is too dependent on Luka for scoring. Luka creates good looks for his teammates, and they too often don't convert.
-- The team relies on at least two of KP, Hardaway, and Brunson -- maybe also Richardson -- to have 20-point games from night to night. That often works, but also often doesn't, and is a hallmark of a lower seed playoff team.
-- Richardson, signed as the stopper of point guards, is not used to guard those players. Instead, you have situations like DFS on Fox.
-- The team is not deep enough. Carlisle has relied mostly on seven players since the ASB. Luka and KP have been given occasional rest games, but the others have mostly played around 30 mpg, and fatigue is surfacing as a factor in performances.
-- A deadline trade produced Melli and Redick, who are barely getting playing time.
-- DFS and other players are being asked to do too much, both in terms of physical output and roles played.
-- Three-point percentage has plummeted.
Above all, his essential takeaway is that the roster has not improved, as a practical matter, since 2019, except for Luka's individual growth. He analyzes several transactions, to show that movement has been, at best, lateral.
https://theathletic.com/2528764/2021/04/...-improved/
Are these points justified?