Dallas Mavericks Still Searching for Their Brandan Wright Replacement
The Dallas Mavericks took a calculated gamble trading a package headlined by Brandan Wright for Rajon Rondo. The hope was that they'd be able replace the backup center's production internally, something that has proven to be a challenge.
Wright had everything the Mavs needed in a backup big. His incredible vertical leap and ability to protect the rim made him a virtual copy of Tyson Chandler (albeit a somewhat inferior one), which allowed Dallas to maintain their identity even with the starting center on the bench.
Whenever Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis would need some rest, Devin Harris and Wright would form a lethal pick-and-roll duo in their place. Through his relentless and explosive rim rolls, Wright opened up the court for his teammates by drawing help defenders, instead of stretching the floor the conventional way.
The fact that Wright had been a perfect fit in Dallas' offense made the blockbuster trade close to an even trade-off for the team. Since the big move, head coach Rick Carlisle has shaken up his rotation several times hoping to fill the major gap left by Wright.
Initially, it appeared as though the Mavs would have to look for free-agent big men who could handle the job. However, Dwight Powell's recent surge has provided some cautious optimism.
Powell or Greg Smith?
Powell's inclusion in the Rondo trade was mostly an afterthought to the public eye.
Powell, 23, was a rookie who hadn't managed to crack the rotation on a lottery team, and few probably expected him to carve out a role for himself on a dark-horse contender like the Mavs. Instead, Powell grabbed the opportunity when it presented itself.
In Dallas' 114-107 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 14, head coach Rick Carlisle decided to rest Tyson Chandler, Dirk Nowitzki and Rondo. Despite the loss, Powell looked impressive.
As soon as he checked into the game, Powell sparkled. He played with a lot of energy and was hitting jumpers all over the floor. What was probably expected to be a brief stint on the court turned into a career-high 29 minutes for the rookie. He scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds before fouling out of the game.
Carlisle has become somewhat notorious for turning to his veterans rather than trying to develop the younger players on his rosters. However, shipping away Wright and Jae Crowder to the Boston Celtics left the Mavericks' frontcourt pretty thin. This in turn allowed Powell to average 12.4 minutes per game in January, the most by a Dallas rookie since the 2008-09 season (excluding Crowder, 17.3 mpg in 2012-13).
The Mavs have had their eyes on Powell for a while, which has perhaps helped him earn an honest opportunity.
"Powell is a guy who we had in for draft workouts last year who we really liked in the draft, and a guy that they did now want to give up," Carlisle said at the post-trade press conference in December, according to Steve Hunt of FOX Sports Southwest.
Times change fast in the NBA, and Powell has seemingly fallen out of favor in Carlisle's rotation lately. In Dallas' last three games, the rookie has played just two minutes in total. Greg Smith, who initially lost his minutes to Powell, has taken back some of that playing time.
From an offensive standpoint, Powell has an advantage over Smith in several of Dallas' highly valued areas. Powell is faster and more mobile, which makes him a more immediate threat in the Mavericks' potent transition offense. He also has a nice jumper in his arsenal, making him a valuable pick-and-pop and spot-up big.
Smith is bigger and a better finisher around the rim, but he doesn't really threaten opposing defenses as much.
Defensively, both players have their flaws. Several teams have constantly gone to their biggest post-up threats in order to abuse Powell. Smith is sturdier down low, but he doesn't move his feet as well and is an inferior pick-and-roll defender.
While a case could be made for either player, Powell's offensive arsenal is certainly more intriguing in Dallas' system. His ability to put the ball on the floor and stretch the floor was summarized perfectly following his breakout performance by MavsOutsider.com's Bobby Karalla:
"You wanna know what opens up the floor? Spotting up your power forward while the center sets a screen and then pops 20 feet from the rim. The Detroit Pistons just picked Dallas apart by doing this last week, only their big men would typically roll. Pair Powell with a guy like Monta Ellis or Rondo, players who can both drive the ball and see the floor well enough to find the open shooter, and you have yourself an offense. Oh, yeah, and if Dirk is spotting up somewhere, that's even better.
"
Wright worked so well next to Nowitzki because his style, similarly to Chandler, thrives in a spaced floor. Even though he couldn't shoot, Wright's excellent movement made it a certainty that the floor wasn't cramped.
Ever since adding Rondo, Dallas' spacing has suffered. While Chandler remains a huge part of the offense, having a guy like Powell next to Nowitzki in some lineups can certainly alleviate the issue.
Al-Farouq Aminu and Charlie Villanueva?
Carlisle has lately experimented by limiting the minutes of both Smith and Powell, opting to play with a real stretch 4 instead. Al-Farouq Aminu and Charlie Villanueva have both been the beneficiaries of this recent change, mostly in lineups next to Nowitzki as the center.
It might appear a disastrous proposition defensively to rely on Nowitzki and Villanueva as your final line of defense, but it has worked surprisingly well in the small sample size so far.
The funky lineup featuring Villanueva, Nowitzki, Harris, Aminu and J.J. Barea has already appeared in four different games and is putting up an insane 48.2 net rating, per NBA.com. Needless to say, the 64.3 points per possession that this particular group gives up isn't sustainable, but it's still an intriguing option.
Aminu has been terrific lately, and he is seemingly ready to take the next step defensively. In the last couple of games, he has been all over the passing lanes and has also had his fair share of blocks that are highlight-reel material.
Even though Aminu doesn't play a ton of power forward, his emergence as a defensive stopper has allowed Villanueva to move into that position, pushing Nowitzki to the five. This means that Dallas has to occasionally get away from their regular playing style by fielding five guys who can shoot but not roll to the rim.
Jermaine O'Neal?
Even though the Mavericks are slowly plugging the massive void left by Wright, an extra body up front wouldn't hurt. Their interest in free-agent Jermaine O'Neal, per the Dallas Morning News' Eddie Sefko, has been public knowledge for a while. The veteran center could very well be the missing piece.
While O'Neal has sat out the season so far, he is still confident (h/t BlackSportsOnline.com's Glenn Erby) in his abilities and itching to come back, as long as it doesn't hurt his family life.
O'Neal, 36, still looked like a decent two-way player during the 2013-14 NBA season with the Golden State Warriors, and his experience would likely grant him a solid spot in Carlisle's rotation.
It's still possible for the Mavs to find the right frontcourt balance without signing O'Neal, but adding him would give Carlisle more to work with.
Final Thoughts
While Wright is a fairly one-dimensional player, his skill set was all that was required in Dallas' offense. He has continued to thrive playing a similar role with the Phoenix Suns ever since the Celtics decided to move him, and there are very few backup big men in the league that are better.
The Mavericks offense has changed since adding Rondo, and it's going to continue changing as Carlisle looks for the most effective way to utilize his revamped roster.
Without Wright, Dallas' half-court offense is somewhat slower. Even though the Mavs still run a ton of pick-and-rolls, there are more post-ups and less movement than before. That's an adjustment for every single player, and it takes time to get used to.
Even though the Mavericks gave up a great deal of their depth in the package for Rondo, Carlisle still has plenty of pieces to work with. Directly replacing Wright will not be possible, but molding an effective rotation in the altered system should be.
You can follow me on Twitter: @VytisLasaitis
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