Jameer Nelson Is Latest Dallas Mavericks Point Guard to Click

When the Dallas Mavericks secured the services of Jameer Nelson, 32, this past summer, he was to succeed a long list of serviceable floor generals that have come before him.

For over a decade, the Mavs have modeled their roster around a franchise superstar in Dirk Nowitzki. The German has naturally lived through a slew of different point guards, and it's been an historically strong position for the team.

In 1998, Don Nelson, then Mavericks head coach and general manager, saw a gem in a certain Canadian residing in Phoenix. He swung a deal for Steve Nash, and then proceeded to put his acquisition on a road to becoming a ball-distributing deity several years down the road.

Unfortunately, Mavs owner Mark Cuban was reluctant to paying Nash the big bucks, and let the 30-year-old return to the Phoenix Suns in 2004. A couple of MVP awards later, that didn't look like such a good decision.

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Jason Terry, a combo-guard with tweener skills, stepped directly into Nash's shoes. He wasn't really a natural point guard but put together an exceptionally efficient 2004-05 season, shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 42 percent from beyond the arc.

Devin Harris was a solid backup, but Dallas really hit a home run by moving him to the New Jersey Nets in a package for Jason Kidd. The future Hall of Famer gave the team four-and-a-half decent seasons and played a major role in bringing a championship to Dallas.

Then Cuban hoped that Darren Collison and a heap of other guards would fill the void, before scratching the plan and picking up the duo of Jose Calderon and Monta Ellis in 2013-14.

Ellis and Calderon complemented each other well last year. They shared the ball-handling duties and took turns running pick-and-pops with Nowitzki. Even though the roster looked relatively shallow, head coach Rick Carlisle really managed to squeeze the most out of his guys.

Calderon had to be sacrificed in order to bring back Tyson Chandler to Dallas. His direct replacement turned out to be Nelson, about whom many had reservations.

Filling Calderon's Role

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Many saw a potential offensive juggernaut rampaging the NBA when the Mavs landed Chandler Parsons. However, there was some understandable skepticism about whether Dallas could contend for a championship with Nelson as the starting point guard in place of Calderon.

Calderon played a crucial role in the Mavericks achieving a top-three-ranked offense last season. His assist numbers took a little bit of a hit, but it was simply a case of him playing more off the ball.

He has always been a golden example floor general who takes care of the ball and gets his team into set plays. Calderon led the league in assists per turnover ratio in 2011-12, and he always sniffs around the top of that category.

Basically, Calderon is the guy you want to have on your side if you have to execute a play at a crucial time. He formed a deadly pick-and-pop threat with Nowitzki and always hit corner shooters with pocket passes.

The Spaniard also took a career-high 5.2 three-pointers per game, knocking them down at a 44.9 percent rate. His terrific ability to spot-up and find open space on the floor was incredibly important for the Mavs. 

Nowitzki draws double-teams in the post, which creates scenarios such as this (Calderon and his defender are highlighted in the picture):

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Calderon proceeded to calmly knock down a three after faking a pass on that particular play. However, he wasn't the only beneficiary of this partnership.

Whenever the Mavericks managed to find Nowitzki in the post with an entry pass, they usually cleared out the strong side. Calderon would then lurk around the perimeter, leaving his defender in a precarious pickle—either abandon a terrific knock-down shooter or let Dirk work one-on-one. 

Nelson now has a couple of games under his belt as a Maverick, and he has done an acceptable job replacing Calderon's load in his own way.

What Nelson Brings to the Mavs

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Nelson appears to be a tough-minded individual who has been through a lot in the NBA. Carlisle also seems to have that impression, as he praised his starting point guard's leadership tendencies that seem to come naturally to him.

“He’s just got a grit and toughness about him that we really need on this team this year,” said the Mavs head coach, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.

It's a little unfair to evaluate how Nelson fills the gap of Calderon, simply because his role is somewhat different. This year's Mavericks run waves of penetration off high pick-and-rolls to break down defenses, which caters to Nelson's strengths. He is significantly faster than Calderon off the dribble, while being a trustworthy floor-spacer as well.

Dallas still runs a lot of post-ups for Nowitzki, and Nelson's role in those plays is different than that of Calderon last year. This was on display in the Mavs' 105-96 loss to the Miami Heat on November 9:

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The Mavericks start the game out with a standard Nowitzki post isolation. After Nelson completes the entry pass, he cuts to the weak-side corner, while Parsons is the one curling around the perimeter.

Calderon would usually be the one starting out in the corner and cutting to the top of the key. Carlisle has opted to have Parsons doing this instead of Nelson, perhaps to transition into a dynamic pick-and-roll if the defense manages to halt the initial action.

A quick glance at Nelson's field-goal percentage is a little unnerving. He has failed to crack 40 percent over the last two seasons and is currently connecting on 38.5 percent of his shots this year.

Nelson is more accurate from beyond the arc, dropping his three-point shots at a 40 percent clip after seven games. Five of his 7.4 shots per game are from long range, which is a little more reassuring.

Considering the quality of looks Nelson is getting, his three-point percentage is great so far. Calderon was assisted on 84.8 percent of his long-range makes last year, while Nelson is creating his own shots and has only been assisted on 42.9 percent of his threes.

Nelson is a lot more aggressive shooting when defenders go under screens. Even though he is less selective than the Spaniard, Nelson generally takes acceptable shots.

Standing at 6'0", Nelson struggles finishing at the rim. However, he is still very explosive and can create looks for others driving to the basket. Here he creates a good shot for Parsons:

If Nelson's man gets stuck on a screen and the floor is well-spaced, he can do some damage.

Ball movement is a major element of Dallas' powerhouse offense, and Nelson is a very good passer. He is used to running an offense and reads defenses well. Take a look at this beautiful three-man action:

Chandler sets a great screen for Parsons, who baits Miami's Chris Bosh toward him. With no clear passing lane to the rolling big man, Parsons swings to Nelson, who in turn delivers the ball to Chandler.

Nelson might not be as efficient as Calderon, but he has made a seamless transition into his offensive role and clicks with his teammates well.

On the other side of the ball, the sight isn't as pretty. Calderon was notorious for his bad defense, but Nelson isn't much of an upgrade in that regard. 

With bigger point guards being in fashion in today's NBA, undersized players like Nelson can often be exploited. 

Nelson is undersized and often struggles fighting over screens. Here is an example:

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Chandler prefers to sag off and protect the basket over coming out high to contain the ball-handler. Nelson gets swallowed by the pick, and the Utah Jazz get an open three.

Other than his physical disadvantages, Nelson doesn't have great defensive instincts. He tends to over-help and roam too much. In this play, he inexplicably leaves his man open in the corner, even though his teammates all have their direct matchups in check:

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Some of his mishaps might be schematic, as the Mavericks prioritize taking away easy looks at the basket. However, he has to do a better job identifying the threat, instead of blindly helping as he does here:

Nelson completely abandons his man on the wing to prevent the drive, even though the Mavs have three players in the paint to contest a shot at the rim. No one is in position to close out on the shooter, and Dallas gives up an open three.

The Mavericks have had many changes in the backcourt over the last couple of years, but Nelson is adamant that he is here to stay.

“There won’t be another one after that for awhile,” Nelson said of the recent point guard turnover, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. “The plan is for there not to be another one for several years with me, Devin [Harris] and Raymond [Felton]. It’s good to be alongside those guys.”

Nelson signed a two-year deal that will pay him $6 million in total, but he appears to have plans to stick around for longer.

Just like many Dallas point guards of the past, Nelson comes in a mixed package of both excellent qualities and visible flaws. He was signed at a significantly cheaper price tag than his predecessor in Calderon. In a deep backcourt, Nelson should provide a decent return on investment.

All stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference or NBA.com, unless otherwise noted.

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