2021-2022 MAVS NEWS: 4th in West | WCF loss [ARCHIVED]

[KillerLeft]

I guess my point was this: With Luka playing I have felt exactly like you are describing. But when JB has played this year I have felt like the offense was quite good (a tick down from last year, but easily top level NBA quality) and the numbers definitely back that up.

So I am still just left baffling at why there is a discrepancy. Luka has elevated the Mavs offense for three straight years and now it looks lost. Yet when JB plays the offense still looks good. I just don't get it.

So, it seems like you're all in on "luka has become less effective due to diet/conditioning." (I realize that's a slight oversimplification). I think that's a factor and NOT crazy. 

But, here's some more oversimplified takes that I believe could help to explain this stuff, too:

If I ran a team, when my backup PG was in the game, I'd keep the plan MUCH more simple, for his sake. This, of course, would have to apply to those sharing the court with him, by default. Understanding to the bone makes players more ready to just "react instinctively" as I believe you have pointed out before. 

Even if you don't buy into the paragraph above at all (I don't see why you wouldn't, it makes all the sense in the world to me) what if Brunson, due to having better skills than Luka with the English language, has edged ahead of Luka temporarily with his understanding of this new system? What if Luka is struggling temporarily to both know what to do, himself, and to communicate it to his teammates in live time, due to its newness and his language? This is literally just spitballing on my part, but then again, Brunson's leadership qualities are probably more second nature to him than they are to Luka.