MAVS 96, CAVALIERS 114

[dirkfansince1998]

Last year the Mavs shot 17.5 wide-open (closest defender is 6+ feet away) threes per game at 37.0%.

This year the Mavs are shooting 17.8 wide-open threes per game at 40.8%.


Last year the Mavs shot 16.5 open (closest defender is 4-6 feet away) threes per game at 36.9%. 

This year they are shooting 15.9 open threes per game at 27.7%


Last year the Mavs shot 3.9 tight (closest defender is 2-4 feet away) threes per game at 29.7%.

This year they are shooting 4.6 tight threes per game at 23.0%.


So the Mavs are down 0.6 open threes per game and up 0.7 tight threes per game and up 0.3 wide-open threes per game. So about 1 three every other game is in tighter coverage than last year. But they are also shooting 1.2 more shoots per game than last year. 

So from a coverage standpoint the Mavs are getting basically just as good of looks from three as they did last year. 

But that obviously isn´t the only thing that matters for shooters. I think the problem isn´t the shooting itself. It starts with the offense in the paint. Mavs aren´t scoring in the paint. They aren´t creating as much scoring opportunities after penetration. That´s how the Mavs used to create 3s in the last two seasons. Inside out. Drive and kick.
Giving the shooter the opportunity to get in position and face the rim prior to the shot. 50 drives per game in 19/20. 47 in 20/21. Less than 40 this season. From close to the top of the league to the bottom of the league.

Mavs rank 29th in PIP. And as you pointed out. It´s mostly about Luka and his pick and roll partners that aren´t scoring at the volume and efficiency that we saw in previous seasons.

I guess it is a little bit of a chicken-egg situation. Bad shooting and spacing impacting the inside scoring. Worse inside scoring and less penetration leading to less kick out opportunities. What is the real problem?
In my opinion. Probably both. The Mavs just  haven´t found their rhythm on offense and I don´t think the current scheme fits the available personal.