Breaking Down Dallas Mavericks Small Forward Position for 2014-15 Season
The name of the game with the Dallas Mavericks’ offseason acquisitions seemed to be versatility. Looking at the roster, there are too many intriguing lineup combinations to even count. The Mavs could roll out three point guards in a lineup. They could decide to run and throw five great athletes out there. Or they could start five knockdown shooters.
It’s really a basketball coach’s dream.
And this dream starts with what the Mavs have done with their small forwards. They currently employ five, which may seem excessive but is key for the makeup of this roster. Each one brings a different blend of skills, and thus each will give a lineup a distinctly different feel.
This will be a little different than last year, when the Mavs only really had two true small forwards. Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, Dallas just opted to try something new.
And this something new is very exciting.
Grading Last Year’s Performance
Shawn Marion and Vince Carter both played over 65 percent of their minutes at small forward and seeing as they were 35 and 37 years old, respectively, it’s a miracle the Mavs got through the season with them intact.
Marion did very Marion things all year long. He was Dallas’ only real plus perimeter defender, and he even shot 35.8 percent from three, his best mark since his days in Phoenix. Add in his basket cuts and his strange, yet effective array of floaters, and the Matrix looked like the guy he’s always been in Dallas.
Carter was a nice complement to Marion. Where Marion’s game was limited on offense and diverse on defense, Carter had the opposite problem. Vinsanity hit threes at almost 40 percent, posted up on smaller guys and even showed flashes of old Vince with some vintage dunks.
Reminder, he was 37. And dunking. In the NBA. In many cases, he was even dunking on people.
Finally Jae Crowder got some run at the 3 as well. Though he was less refined than Carter or Marion, he brought the energy and athleticism that the older guard could not. He filled a role and filled it well.
But put all three of them together, and the small forward spot was good for the Mavs. They had the offense, the defense and the energy. The only issue was that the full position was in three separate parts. But they managed to work that out rather well over the season.
2013-14: B
What to Expect This Season
With Shawn Marion off to Cleveland and Vince Carter in Memphis, the only holdover from last season at the 3 is Jae Crowder. Obviously the Mavs made this position an area of emphasis, as they added four wings in the offseason.
First and foremost is Chandler Parsons. He was signed away from Houston as a restricted free agent, and he’ll be getting a whopping $46 million for three seasons in Dallas.
Though $46 million seems gaudy, Parsons might be worth that number. He can do it all. He’s a 6’9” wing who can shoot, drive and pass. His defense can be improved, but he’s only 25. He hasn’t cemented his role in the NBA, and the Mavs are banking on him not yet having reached his potential.
He’ll surely soak up most of the minutes at the 3, but that didn’t stop Dallas from going in on more small forwards.
In addition to Parsons and Crowder, the Mavs have Richard Jefferson, Al-Farouq Aminu and Eric Griffin.
Jefferson seems like a guy the Mavs would have loved last year; an older shooter with something left in the tank who plays smart basketball. Not only did he shoot over 40 percent from three, but he also hit 49.1 percent of his corner threes.
And he’s signed for $1.5 million? Good on ya, Mavs.
How Carlisle opts to use Al-Farouq Aminu is going to be very interesting. He’s a great athlete and uses this well on the boards as he averages 8.5 rebounds per 36 minutes for his career. He runs the floor, and he’s a good energy guy.
Then again, he’s just a bad shooter. And the whole creating thing doesn’t work too well for him either. So he’s limited with the ball in his hands.
But, he could be a nice small-ball 4. In a lineup with Parsons at the 3 and Tyson Chandler at center, Aminu could be a big-time matchup problem for bigger fours. He’s quick and ferocious on the boards, and might even be able to take slower guys off the dribble.
Aminu’s impact on the team all depends on how he’s used. But the potential is there for him to be a nice part to this team.
Eric Griffin was signed after a strong showing in the NBA Summer League. He also demonstrated plus athleticism and energy, but his game was relatively limited. He likely won’t see anything more than garbage-time minutes, but his plus athleticism is something the Mavs don’t have a ton of.
As mentioned at the top, this group is primarily responsible for the Mavs’ newfound versatility. Five wings who do different things allows Carlisle to give opposing teams dozens of looks.
And it all starts with Chandler Parsons. He can be a human Swiss army knife, melding his skills to who’s around him. He can run with a smaller lineup, slide to the 4 occasionally and even become a primary ball-handler. It all depends on what the team needs.
Even though the season is still almost a month away, Parsons’ skills are already being noticed by his teammates. In an interview with Earl K. Sneed of mavs.com, Tyson Chandler praised Parsons’ talent.
"'I think he’s a young player and very talented. Actually a lot more talented than I thought coming here,' center Tyson Chandler added after working out with Parsons this summer following his trade from New York. 'Being in the East, I only faced him a couple of times a year. And he’s surprised me in the couple of weeks that he’s been here and I’ve been here. He can do a lot more things than I thought he could. You know, he’s a better shooter, better driver, better ball-handler and passer. I didn’t think he was as capable as he actually is in a lot of those categories, so I’m really looking forward to watching him progress, especially learning from Dirk and those guys.'
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Parsons could even step into the shooting guard spot occasionally, allowing for another 3 to get in, like Jefferson, and give the Mavs even more shooting. It all depends on how Carlisle decides he wants to attack a specific opponent.
And as a coach, that kind of ability must be fantastic. Not being locked into one brand of basketball night in and night out gives Dallas the ability to exploit anyone’s weaknesses. The Mavs can play matchups or mimic style, whichever works.
All thanks to this group of small forwards.
Roster construction is an art, and right now it seems that this could be a masterpiece. Of course, this group has yet to play a regular-season game. So for now, these are all projections.
But make no mistake, the Mavericks are going to make some noise. And it could be thanks largely to this group of 3s.
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