Progress Reports for Dallas Mavericks' Newcomers
Much has been made of the Dallas Mavericks’ offseason. To say it was an active one would be a vast understatement.
There seemed to be a whirlwind of signings and trades, and when the dust settled, the roster was barely recognizable. As the regular season began, the Mavs featured nine new faces.
And after a big home win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 15, Dallas sports a 7-3 record through the first 10 games of the 2014-15 NBA season.
So far, so good for the roster shuffling.
The team seems to be meshing well, but it’s time we take a look at each of those new additions and see just how they’re doing.
It’s progress-report time, folks.
Chandler Parsons
1 of 7
The Good
Chandler Parsons does a lot of stuff that doesn’t show up in the stat sheet. For instance, though he won’t get the final assist tally, his drives or initial pick-and-roll play often causes the rotations that lead to open shots.
Parsons won’t always get the points or the assist, but he makes those plays happen.
And though his box score doesn’t show it, his effect can be captured statistically. According to 82games.com, the Mavs are 3.3 points better on offense when Parsons is on the floor. With him out there, they average an absurd 117.2 points per 100 possessions.
The 6’9”, 220-pound Parsons was touted as a do-it-all player, and offensively he’s flashed his skills quite well. He can slash, shoot and create—all very valuable skills in the Dallas offense.
Simply put, the Mavs are better with Parsons on the floor.
The Bad
Though he’s looked good, Parsons still has some kinks to work out.
His scoring is down, at 14 points per game. And his shooting is down as well, as he’s only hitting 40 percent of his shots from the floor.
And this makes sense, considering Parsons had a four-game stretch where he averaged 9.75 points on 26.9 percent shooting.
There are still times when it feels like he should make one more pass. For instance, on opening night against the Spurs, Monta Ellis was standing wide open on the other wing when Parsons took a three for the win at the buzzer. It’s not like Parsons took a hotly contested shot, but Ellis was simply more open.
These are the little things that Parsons will iron out over the year. This system fits him too well for him not to figure it out, and the scoring will come. But for now, he still has some room to grow.
Grade: B+
Tyson Chandler
2 of 7
The Good
He’s baaaaack.
Mavs fans have longed for the days when they had an above-average defensive big. Not even a great one, just one who was semi-good.
And now Tyson Chandler is back. And this is vintage Chandler too, so it’s even better.
Currently, he is averaging a double-double at 11.2 points and 10.4 rebounds to go along with 1.7 blocks. Similar to Chandler Parsons, Dallas just looks better when he’s on the floor.
Chandler is picking up right where he left off. Though he’s been gone for three years, you wouldn’t know it by watching him play. Between the alley-oops and the stellar defense, he is just what the Mavericks needed.
The Bad
There really isn’t much to say here. He’s shooting a career high 78.6 percent from the line but is only shooting 67.2 percent from the floor. Maybe that’s something?
Realistically, unless he miraculously develops a jumper or a post-up game, this is about as well as Chandler can be expected to play. His per-36 numbers are some of the best he’s ever had across the board, and he’s shooting the lights out in addition to being the defensive anchor. There really isn’t much more anybody could want from him.
Grade: A
Jameer Nelson
3 of 7
The Good
The term "floor general" is probably used too often, but that’s the best way to describe Jameer Nelson thus far this season.
He’s calm and rarely in a hurry. He’s an old head and unselfish player. He’s very good about only taking the open shots and not forcing the issue.
These are all things that make the loss of Jose Calderon’s offensive talents a little easier to swallow.
Nelson keeps the offense humming, and he knows his job. He’s out there to make sure everybody gets their touches where they want them, and it’s so far so good on that front.
He’s been frisky on defense, which is a plus, but he’s by no means a stud on that end. His main contributions will be on offense, and that’s all the Mavs need.
The Bad
Being a floor general is great, and the Mavs benefit from having a point guard with those skills.
But Nelson is also supposed to be a shooter. And that part of his game has yet to be seen in Dallas.
Nelson is shooting better from beyond the arc than inside of it. Saying that by itself isn’t much of a cause for worry, but Nelson is shooting 34.8 percent from deep—which means he’s shooting 32 percent from the floor. And then it makes sense that his .944 points per shot ranks last on the team.
He’s still better served to be the starting point guard for all the aforementioned reasons, but considering how underwhelming he’s looked when asked to be more than a play-starter, his job may be in jeopardy down the line.
Since he’s a veteran with career shooting averages of 44.1 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from three, Nelson should be fine. It’s a bit disturbing to see this after a down shooting year in 2013-14, but he’s getting good shots. So he should come around.
But for now, it’s pretty rough out there.
Grade: C-
Al-Farouq Aminu
4 of 7
The Good
Al-Farouq Aminu was brought in to be athletic. It seems like an easy enough job when it’s put like that, but there’s more to it than it sounds.
At 6’9” and 215 pounds, Aminu splits time between the 3 and the 4. And his job is to use his strength, speed and quickness to be a bear for anyone who has to guard him.
And he’s doing just that.
Aminu’s per-36 numbers are almost in lockstep with his career averages, and it shows on the floor. He crashes the boards hard, runs the floor and is active on defense.
The one thing that sticks out is his three-point shooting.
Though he’s shooting a pretty poor 25 percent from deep, he’s taking 1.6 threes per game. That’s more than he’s taken since his rookie year. Though he’s not making them, it’s progress. He fits better if he can at least fake being a shooter.
It’s way too early to call the Aminu experiment anything really, but it’s showing promise thus far.
The Bad
The short version? Aminu is inconsistent.
Just take a look at his game logs. He tends to be all over the place. He’s had two spectacular games where he combined for 26 points and 16 boards while shooting 78.5 percent from the field.
And then there’s a four-game stretch where he scored a combined seven points. And you probably didn’t even realize he was playing.
As a role player who doesn’t have plays drawn up for him, the nature of Aminu’s role is one of highs and lows. The fact that he’s shown glimpses only 10 games in is a good thing, but it will be tough for head coach Rick Carlisle to trust him down the stretch if this inconsistency keeps up.
Grade: B
J.J. Barea
5 of 7
The Good
Back in 2010-11 when Barea was a generously listed 6'0", 175-pound spark off the bench, his job was to come in and cause problems.
Things really haven’t changed.
Though he may seem like an older head, Barea can still show a little of what made him such a valuable part of the title team. He better understands how to play point, but he also hasn’t lost that spark.
And, of course, it looks like he never left.
He’s as sneaky and slithery as ever, getting into the lane and throwing some of those alley-oops the Mavs love so much this season.
And as the team’s fourth guard, all this is just icing on the cake.
The Bad
Barea fits the system well, but he’s not 100 percent comfortable yet.
He’s making the right plays and embracing his role. But the shots aren’t going down. He’s only shooting 40.3 percent from the floor and 27.3 percent from deep.
It’s not pretty, but he has a handle on what’s going on. The shooting is really the only thing that has gone wrong for Barea thus far. He’s been a great bench guard, and he should start hitting shots soon. He’s too good of a shooter for this to keep up.
Grade: A-
Richard Jefferson
6 of 7
The Good
Outside of shooting threes, not much was expected from Richard Jefferson. He was supposed to be mostly a spot-up guy and another one of those smart players the Mavs love so much.
Well, it might be too much to say Jefferson has turned back the clock, but at 34 he still has some bounce.
Jefferson isn’t afraid to drive the lane and use his reputation as a shooter to create lanes for himself. For a guy who was supposed to be one-dimensional, this is just an added bonus.
The Bad
Sooner or later, teams are going to realize that they might not need to bite on those pump fakes.
Jefferson, the veteran shooter, is hitting 18.2 percent of his shots from deep.
Now, we’re only 10 games in, and Jefferson has only shot 11 threes, so nobody should overreact.
But if for some reason that shot that came on so strong last season is broken, that could be really bad news for Jefferson and the Mavs.
And those drives that he’s brought out, even those have been a bit rough. He has a bad habit of simply driving to shoot, and of course that leads to bad shots. The Mavs love to drive and kick, and that part of Jefferson’s game has been lacking.
Grade: D
Incompletes
7 of 7
With such a crowded roster, some of the newcomers are going to slip through the cracks. Greg Smith is a nice young big who has shown flashes of skill, but inexperience and a crowded rotation are keeping him from getting more minutes. Charlie Villanueva is a veteran stretch 4, but again that crowded frontcourt is keeping him on the bench during games.
And then, of course, there’s Raymond Felton. Coming off a tumultuous season with the New York Knicks, the point guard was set to start anew in Dallas. But a preseason ankle injury kept him sidelined, and according to ESPN Dallas he will begin serving a four-game suspension on November 17 that stems from a guilty plea to gun charges in August.
All three of these players were interesting additions during the offseason, and hopefully we can see more of them as the season goes on. But for now, there simply isn’t enough to give them meaningful grades.
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