2021-2022 AROUND the NBA: GSW Champs [ARCHIVED]

[KillerLeft]

I think it is because opponents pack the paint way more against Mavs and are far more careful about the PnR. Plus Powell lost some of his bounce. Its not like Luka would refuse to do it, if it would be there.

Yeah, for sure. Last season teams started to get smarter about identifying Powell as the first option (and he was recovering from a horrible injury). 

This season, it's not uncommon for at least one teammate, if not two, to be between the screen-roll participants and the basket, along with their defenders. Even when the paint is relatively open, there's almost always someone force-cutting into the paint as the action plays out. This is a GREAT tactic when it's surprise and the cutter's defender gets caught off guard, but the Mavs seem to do it as the main goal of each possession, and sometimes they even do it in response to their defender leaving them to help contain the screen/roll action, which seems extremely counterintuitive to me. That's what you WANT - for your defender to get sucked in so there's an easy pass out to you for a catch-and-shoot opportunity. Following the defender in that situation results in every player from both teams ending up in the paint like they're playing a middle school game and nobody knows what to do. 

I totally agree that Luka would be more than willing to throw lobs if they were there. Honestly, I think he and others have often thrown lobs that really weren't open this season, probably out of desperate frustration to create something meaningful on offense.