Doncic in Dallas
The NBA draft unpacked many intriguing storylines like Michael Porter Jr dropping to the Nuggets at the end of the lottery and Bagley being taken by the Kings despite the fact he is an awkward fit in Sacramento. The most interesting coming out of the draft was the trade between Dallas and Atlanta. Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban had locked in on Luka Doncic as the future of the franchise and the complementary ball-handler in Rick Carlisle’s offence. On the other side of the conference table was Travis Schlenk, a Warriors disciple who was enamoured with Trae Young, a player who has invoked Steph Curry comparisons due to his ability to shoot the three and make plays.
The deal itself was not easy, Atlanta wanted to off-load Kent Bazemore to Dallas in order to make room so that their younger players could be developed. Mark Cuban did not want a bad contract to eat into their precious salary cap space during a very good big man free agency class. Eventually, the two general manager came to an agreement that both players would be swapped and Dallas would convey a 2019 top-five protected pick to Atlanta so that the Mavericks could get the number three overall pick, Luka Doncic. Doncic is a fit for almost every single NBA team but Rick Carlisle mutliple ball-handlers system will be perfect for him to develop his talents.
For Real Madrid, Luka Doncic was the lead ball-handler, he only really had the ball out of his hands when Sergio Lluli or Fabien Casseur briefly took over play-making duties. Pablo Laso saw that Doncic was the best player on the team and decided to let him dictate the play as it would be the best way of ensuring victories. This strategy obviously worked, Real Madrid won the Euroleague and their domestic league, the ACB however it did have a cost. By the end of the season, Doncic had been worn down by the rigors of a season in which he played more than eighty games, in comparison most NCAA players have season that typically top out at forty games. There was a noticeable drop-off in certain areas like 3pt shooting, Doncic began the season shooting his average and he ended shooting just 31% from three-point land. This is not a question of poor mechanics, Doncic has a shooting form in which there are no discernible areas of concern. It is the fact that he was simply tired from the long season, his season only finished a few days before the NBA draft, he was still playing competitive games against teams while most prospects would be in team work-outs.
In a Rick Carlisle system, Doncic can share the ball with Dennis Smith Jr and does not have the pressure of creating something on every single possession. It’ll mean that Doncic will be fresher for much longer and can begin to use the other aspects of his game such as his knowledge of the pick and roll. Most European basketball teams use the pick and roll as a staple of their offence, it is commonly taught and well with Doncic’s wheelhouse. In an on-ball role, he could use his large frame to make difficult passes or barrel his way to the rim. However in terms of off-ball, he could become a shooter or a secondary playmaker once defences have broken down. The benefits of sharing the playmaking duties is two-fold for Doncic and Dallas, it means that Doncic will not be as worn down as he was when he led Pablo Laso’s team to a collection of trophies. The other benefit is that Rick Carlisle has more options on the offensive front, both DSJ and Luka are able play-makers who will bring different dimensions to the offence. DSJ is a hyper-athletic one-guard who explodes on drives to the basket, he is very good at finishing around the rim. In contrast Doncic is a passing savant who can create easy looks for all of his team-mates by his court vision, his lack of explosive athleticism is off-set by Dennis Smith Jr’s ability to explode.
For Dallas, it means that their rebuilding time-line has moved forward and they can start moving towards playoff contention. They have a good nucleus of young players to build around with able and talented veterans like Dirk Nowitzki to coach Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr into being future superstars. Playoff contention may seem to be a goal that is unachievable when their success is predicated on the play of a sophmore and a rookie guard. However, it has to be remembered that Doncic is not a normal rookie, he was been playing basketball professionally against grown men for Real Madrid for years. He led Slovenia to the Eurobasket Championship while he was 17. Luka is not a normal rookie and will be well prepared for the season and contributing instantly, I will not be surprised to see Doncic playing with maturity like Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell did this season.
Dallas was extremely careful during the Doncic trade from Atlanta not to taken on the salaries of Kent Bazemore or Dennis Schroder for a good reason, they want to preserve their cap space so that they can sign a high-calibre big man in free agency. There are a number of options who are available and all options will definitely improve Dallas’ chance of securing a playoff spot and possibly make a deep run into the playoffs next season. The number one name who has been linked with the Dallas Mavericks is DeMarcus Cousins.
Cousins is a top-five centre in the NBA when healthy, he has the ability to destroy defences from everywhere as it is very difficult to match up with a seven centre who can shoot threes and finish strong inside. The Mavericks have some links with Cousins, mainly the fact his brother plays for the Mavs G-League team and could be a potential suitor for DeMarcus. The reports that are coming from the beat reporters who cover the Pelicans is that Dell Demps is not keen on committing a five-year maximum deal to a player who has suffered an Achilles injury, the type of injury that will greatly reduce mobility and may lead to future injuries. New Orleans are likely to offer a two-year deal to Cousins in order to assess whether Cousins is fully recovered from his injuries. It is not inconceivable to see Dallas offering the max, full-length deal to Cousins and Cousins signing with the Mavericks.
There are also a number of other centres who are also entering free agency, Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan are both big men with question marks by their name but the best option in this free agency is Clint Capela. Capela has excelled in Houston as a rim-running centre who catches lobs and plays active defense. He does not command or demand the ball, he simply takes advantage of opportunities that present themselves. It is likely that the ‘Lob City Redux’ established in Houston could continue in Dallas, Doncic has the court vision to find Capela for the lob. Capela would be an excellent signing but it could be difficult in order to get the Swiss big man to sign on the dotted line. He is currently a restricted free agency and it is likely that Houston will match any deal offered to Clint, Tillman Fertitta has stated his intent to build a championship roster at all costs. For Dallas to have a chance at signing Capela, Houston would need to be completely capped out, an unlikely possibility given Morey’s ability to create cap space.
A big free agency will be a statement that Dallas are ready to compete during the twilight of Dirk’s career, they could feasibly run a DSJ, Curry, Doncic, Barnes and Capela line-up in a four-out type scenario that SVG used to run all the time in Orlando with Howard as the sole big man in the paint. If the team needs more shooting or a steadying presence, Rick Carlisle can just sub in Dirk Nowitzki who is one of the best spot-up shooters in the NBA. Doncic is a statement of intent for a Dallas team who wants to compete now and push towards title contention.
