Mavericks' New Offense Has Luka Doncic, Dallas Better Prepared for 2022 NBA Playoffs
It sounds counterintuitive: Under new head coach Jason Kidd, the Dallas Mavericks offense has not been as good by the numbers in 2021-22 as it was over the previous two seasons—but it is better, and it's better prepared for when it counts most.
To understand why, we have to look back a bit.
In the last two campaigns, the Mavs ran a heliocentric offense around their star, and it worked beautifully in the regular season. In 2019-20, they had a record offensive rating of 115.9, which dipped the next year to a still-impressive 114.6.
An inordinate amount of the offense was created by Doncic. In 2019-20, the 23-year-old had 29 percent of the team's assists. The following season, that figure rose to 34.4 percent. He did all of that while leading the Mavs in scoring at 28.8 and 27.7 points per game, respectively, each year.
The on/off splits from those seasons show how important Doncic was to that offense. When he was on the floor last season, Dallas had an offensive rating of 116.6, and when he stepped off, the offensive rating dropped to 107.7.
But that strategy hurt the Mavericks in the playoffs.
Both of Doncic's trips to the postseason ended in first-round losses to the Los Angeles Clippers, as the young star began to tire by the fourth quarter under the heavy load. In the 2021 series, the Mavs had a 104.0 offensive rating with him on the floor in the final quarter, down 10.6 points from the full regular-season mark and 14.3 off the playoff tally.
The Clippers threw multiple defenders on Doncic all night, as Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Marcus Morris Sr. took turns on him as part of a team effort.
Below, watch as Doncic brings the ball up the court in Game 7. He's by his primary defender, Morris, with Leonard building a wall. Then George comes in from behind to hound him. Finally Doncic gets to post up Morris and misses an open look:
More telling than the play itself was Doncic's reaction to the miss. His shoulders slumped and he put his head down before heading back up the court. It's fairly clear that the toll of carrying the Mavs all season and that series finally caught up to him.
What's Different In 2022?
Things have changed under Kidd, as the Mavericks have incorporated significant off-ball work for Doncic.
It has helped that Jalen Brunson has evolved as a secondary playmaker. His assists this season are up from 3.5 to 5.2 per contest. The addition of Spencer Dinwiddie has given the team another ball-handler, and he's averaged 4.2 assists per game since his February trade from Washington.
That allows Kidd to take the ball out of Doncic's hands for stretches while he floats off the ball against a shifting defense, and it's exactly the type of strategy Dallas recently used to start a game against Utah.
Below, Doncic runs to the block while Dinwiddie brings the ball up the court. Doncic works in the flex action. He sets a light screen for Reggie Bullock before coming off a Dinwiddie screen into a dribble-handoff with Dwight Powell, who Doncic finds on the roll for a dunk:
Even when Doncic has hit the bench, it has not been as massive of a drop-off as it was in previous seasons. Dallas' offensive rating dips only 2.1 points. In its most recent game against the Jazz last Monday, the team was actually four points better when Doncic was on the bench.
Having Dinwiddie out there organizing the offense as needed goes a long way. On this possession, Dinwiddie pushes the tempo, and when the Mavs' advantage is gone, he resets the offense and eventually gets the ball back for a three:
Finding offense elsewhere can help save Doncic's legs for end-of-game scenarios. That is when the Mavs will need him to take over, just like he did this season against the Lakers.
Down one, Los Angeles switched LeBron James onto Doncic, and the Mavs star worked his way into a tough step-back along the baseline to take the lead. Then he iced the contest, getting by James again at the top and finishing with a floater:
Dallas' season started slowly while the team adjusted to a new coaching staff and system, plus Doncic arrived at camp out of shape. But since the start of the new year, the offensive rating has risen to 112.9—not that far off from last season's 114.6.
Kidd has steered the Mavs away from a heliocentric offense. This year's attack is more versatile and diverse, as it has several players able to take the lead, saving Doncic's energy for late-game heroics. That's what this team has been missing in postseasons past.
And that is precisely what Luka and the Mavs will need come the 2022 playoffs.
Mo Dakhil spent six years with the Los Angeles Clippers and two years with the San Antonio Spurs as a video coordinator, as well as three years with the Australian men's national team. Follow him on Twitter, @MoDakhil_NBA.
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