Dallas Mavericks: Mavs Need Consistency from Odom to Have Successful Season

One player that is struggling to find his role with the Dallas Mavericks is veteran forward Lamar Odom. Odom was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers before the start of the 2011-12 NBA season after being unhappy about hearing his name being mentioned in a potential Chris Paul trade scenario that also involved the Houston Rockets.

The veteran lefty brought immediate versatility to the Mavericks, especially with his ability to play the “point-forward” role after the Mavericks lost free-agent center Tyson Chandler to the Knicks. With a forward combination of Odom, Shawn Marion and Dirk Nowitzki, head coach Rick Carlisle and his coaching staff can strategize different lineups that would bring the best out in each player.

Carlisle was thrilled about the addition of Odom and has been playing him off the bench so far this season.  One reason is to allow him time to get into game-playing shape, and the other reason is to see his impact on the game with the second unit. Odom was considered to be a versatile player since entering the NBA back in 1999 and showed that at times during his career.

Odom averaged 11.6 points during his seven seasons as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and was a factor on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court with his versatility and ability to guard multiple positions. Odom was also a major factor in why the Lakers were able to win consecutive NBA championships in 2009 and 2010.

So far, Odom has still not gotten back to his “old” self with the Mavericks, but said that he was not mentally prepared coming into the season and hopes to get back on track soon.

Hopefully, as the season rolls along, the Mavericks can get more out of Odom as the team looks to make another deep playoff run.