04-14-2021, 10:17 AM
(04-14-2021, 08:53 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: Below is from The Athletic Power Rankings (Mav's fall to 10th). They also did a Best/Worst Lineup piece. Strange stuff for Dallas. It would be interesting to see this post 2/1.
10. Dallas Mavericks (↓Previously 8th), 29-23, +2.2 net rating
Weekly slate: Win over Jazz, Loss at Rockets, Win over Bucks, Loss to Spurs
Good lineup: Jalen Brunson | Tim Hardaway Jr. | Dorian Finney-Smith | Josh Richardson | Kristaps Porzingis
Stats: 130.1 offensive rating | 105.7 defensive rating | +24.4 net rating | 102 minutes played | 2nd most used lineup
Why it’s important: You’ll notice this Mavericks lineup doesn’t have its franchise guy, Luka Doncic, in this lineup. And this group absolutely demolishes opponents who get in their way. Part of this lineup is propaganda for Jalen Brunson being the rightful owner of the 2021 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. It’s good to see the Mavs don’t just survive without Doncic on the floor, but they can outright dominate with this lineup. It’s encouraging for his minutes in the postseason and leaving him fresh for the end of games.
Bad lineup: Luka Doncic | Tim Hardaway Jr. | Dorian Finney-Smith | Josh Richardson | Kristaps Porzingis
Stats: 108.1 offensive rating | 133.5 defensive rating | -25.4 net rating | 76 minutes played | 3rd most used lineup
Question that arises: It’s absolutely nuts that this lineup with Doncic has performed almost the complete inverse as this lineup with Brunson instead of the franchise player. So I guess the question then becomes, does this mean anything? It might be pandemic-season madness and randomness in these numbers. Or maybe Doncic just needs a bigger lineup than what this provides for him? When you replace Tim Hardaway Jr. with Maxi Kleiber, we see that lineup perform extremely well (+15.2). But for some reason, this combination has been a disaster and the Mavs need to figure out why it can’t score or defend.
Fascinating, thanks for posting this.