J.J. Barea's Return to Dallas Is Just What Mavericks Needed
Sometimes, good things come in small packages. That has certainly been the case with J.J. Barea, who has made a triumphant return to the Dallas Mavericks.
The 2013-14 season wasn't pretty for the 6'0" point guard. Barea, 30, saw his minutes dwindle down with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He shot 38.7 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from three-point range, both career-lows excluding his rookie season.
The Timberwolves had no interest in keeping an inefficient veteran guard, especially with an injection of youth ahead of the 2014-15 campaign.
Minnesota decided to waive Barea, which prompted the Mavericks to free Gal Mekel of his duties in order to make room for the Puerto Rican. The decision appeared questionable at first, but Barea has looked like the same player who helped the Mavs put away the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.
While Mekel was a promising player, he likely would've been buried on the bench for most of the year. Barea, on the other hand, has stepped into a familiar role and trusts his coach to figure out how to utilize him.
“I’m excited to be back. The best five years of my life were here. Hopefully we can get this going again,” Barea said after signing with the Mavs, according to ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon. "Whatever they need me to do, I’ll be ready."
In the game against the Washington Wizards on Nov. 19, Dallas needed a lot. Barea came up huge and sparked a late scoring spurt, as the Mavs handed the Wizards their first home loss of the season.
With just over three minutes remaining in the game, Barea gave the Mavs a one-point lead, salvaging a broken play by calmly knocking down a jumper on the wing. The following four offensive possessions Dallas ran Barea and Dirk Nowitzki in high pick-and-rolls, a combination Washington couldn't figure out in time.
Barea followed up on his heroic game in Washington by dropping 16 points and dishing out eight assists in 22 minutes of action against the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 21.
With Devin Harris on the sidelines with a minor leg injury, Barea took full advantage and proved his value. Even with Harris back, Barea has gotten a chance to close games. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle clearly likes what he has seen so far.
"But really, since he walked in here, he’s fit back in very well. And he proved the other night (in Washington) that if we need to stretch him out, he’s capable of delivering for us," Carlisle said, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
Barea might eventually be pushed further back in the rotation with Harris back in the fold. It's still comforting for Carlisle to know he can rely on the Puerto Rican if his backcourt is hit with the injury bug.
Sometimes, Barea takes ill-advised shots or dribbles the ball far too long. But in a lot of ways, he is a terrific spark plug off the bench. Just like other guards on the Mavs' roster, he has found instant synergy with Tyson Chandler and Brandan Wright.
A decent chunk of Dallas' offense comes through high pick-and-roll action, with guards penetrating and finding their big men with lobs after forcing weak-side rotations. Here are two examples:
The Lakers are obviously not an example of a great defense, but Barea is certainly capable of beating a lot of guys off the dribble. If his defender gets stuck on a screen, he possesses blistering speed that is very hard to deal with.
In the first clip, Barea's defender forces him to go left. The initial defensive rotation is there, but it's almost impossible to react in time once you give the speedy veteran an open driving lane.
When Barea is on the floor, he dominates the ball a lot. Here are a couple of examples:
In the first clip, the Lakers do a good job stopping the initial pick-and-roll action. Barea holds on to the ball, runs another pick-and-roll and finishes the play off with a beautiful pass to a cutter.
Notice how he baits his defender farther out. He does this a lot. It allows him to take a couple of dribbles and pick up his pace, before having his defender slam into a screen. Since he is tiny, Barea doesn't need a lot of room to penetrate through the initial line of defense.
The second play is a simple drive-and-kick to Jae Crowder. Barea has done a great job of hitting corner shooters and swinging the ball to rolling big men so far. He understands Carlisle's offense and thrives with so many threats around him.
When Barea isn't hitting shots, his ball-dominant approach can be somewhat frustrating, especially when you demote Monta Ellis to a spot-up shooter. He's a guy you have to throw into games, see if he is feeling it and ride him if that is the case.
Defensively, Barea's size is an issue. He struggles getting around screens, isn't great closing out on shooters and sometimes just drifts off mentally. He can also be an infuriating presence to deal with. Take a look at these two clips:
Barea is great at playing up close and physical against guards, pestering them on every dribble. A lot of players, especially bigger guys, like to abuse what they consider a mismatch and try to shove off. Barea bounces off players and sells that contact very well. He beats his matchup to the spot and forces turnovers in this unconventional way.
Considering the fact the Mavs got Barea at a discount, he is a great acquisition. Mekel was the sacrificial lamb, but he would not have seen enough minutes to develop as a player anyway. Instead, Carlisle now has another versatile ball-handler who knows and accepts the role he is given.
The Mavs have always been great at picking up players when their market value is at a low, then turning them into effective pieces. Bringing back Barea is just another example of that.
You can follow me on Twitter: @VytisLasaitis
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