(05-18-2022, 10:24 AM)vfromlmf Wrote: https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2022/5...uka-doncic
Nice in depth series preview. Interesting the highlighted Mavs defensive breakdowns featured guys like Chriss and Bertans. Note the Bertans play had nothing to do with lack of lateral movement of any other typical Bertans knock. It was mental. He just didn't switch correctly. I thought he did a much better job defensively against the Suns and hope he may be catching on to the Mavs defensive system. Bertans has length to bother guys if he makes the right defensive reads. You don't have to be a gifted one-on-one defender to succeed against a motion offense, but you need to be smart.
As a side note, BBIQ is a vastly underrated skill in the Roster thread. We like to talk about swapping out a Stanford guy like Powell for a young guy like Jalen Smith or PJ Washington without the slightest consideration for whether or not they can execute Kidd's defensive game plan. Powell has limitations to be sure but he's WAY underrated for his intelligence in reading angles and executing at a high level both offensively and defensively.
While I agree on BBIQ being an important component, it has not really made Powell very effective in the playoffs. Maybe it will be different in this next series.
Regardless of that though, currently the only guys on the roster worthy of rotation minutes at center are a 31 year old post achillis starter getting 22 minutes a game, and a 30 year old oft injured backup who wears down when getting significant minutes. There is a strong argument for adding young depth to that group, especially since Maxi can spin down to the 4 spot when needed.