Luka Dončić Talks Mavericks' Struggles Since Kyrie Trade: 'Anybody Can Score on Us'

Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Dončić noted the team's significant defensive issues in a chat with reporters on Tuesday, per Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News.

The 37-42 Mavericks' season is squarely on the brink largely because of their porous defense. They sit in 11th place in the Western Conference with three games remaining. Dallas is one game back of the Oklahoma City Thunder for 10th place, the final spot in the play-in tournament.

Per Basketball Reference, Dallas has the NBA's No. 23 defensive rating. The Mavs have also gone 1-7 in their last eight games and allowed 118.4 PPG during that span.

Hopes were naturally high for the Mavs after they acquired Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets in February. Unfortunately, the Irving-Dončić pairing has not fared well thus far, with the team going 4-11 in their 15 games together.

Of course, it should take time for two superstars who are used to commanding an offense and having flow through them to jell and work well together.

That being said, the team as constructed has serious issues with defense and rebounding differential, where it ranks dead last in the league.

Even if the Mavs somehow sneak into the play-in tournament, it's clear that Dallas is far from seriously contending for an NBA title, a disappointing result after making the Western Conference Finals last year.

The team also has big question marks in the future with Irving set to become a free agent, so it's unclear what Dallas will look like down the road.

For now, the Mavs hope to sneak into the playoffs. They'll host the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday before welcoming in the Chicago Bulls on Friday and the San Antonio Spurs Sunday to end the regular season.