Ranking the Top 10 Dallas Mavericks Players Heading into 2015 NBA All-Star Break
The Dallas Mavericks are limping into the All-Star break. The team was without Rajon Rondo and Tyson Chandler in their close 87-82 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, and there are few teams in the league that need time to recover more than the Mavs.
Going into the season, Dallas took pride in its depth. The Mavs had several competent players in almost every position, ready to fill in when the injury bug hit. The Rondo trade stripped the Mavericks of a lot of roster versatility, forcing head coach Rick Carlisle to look for answers deeper in his rotation. With an ailing starting unit, the reserves will have a momentary chance to prove their worth.
Even though Dallas is thinner up front, there are several guys who have stepped up. Al-Farouq Aminu and Charlie Villanueva have competently filled in for the now-departed Brandan Wright, albeit in entirely different ways.
With Rondo and Ellis banged up, J.J. Barea, Devin Harris and Raymond Felton will have a chance to prove their value.
There isn't a lot of movement among the top dogs in Dallas' hierarchy since the previous power rankings, but things have changed quite a bit further down the list.
Even though Dwight Powell had an impressive streak of games in January, neither he nor Greg Smith have managed to leave a lasting impression on Carlisle. Felton and Ricky Ledo have both played relatively insignificant roles, and they fail to make the top-10 cut as well.
10. Richard Jefferson
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Richard Jefferson has been a reliable three-point shooter all season long, but he has taken a bit of a back seat lately. His playing time has fluctuated as other players in the rotation have stepped up.
Carlisle loves going to his veterans, so Jefferson falling a little out of favor is a testament to how well other guys have done with his minutes.
Even at this point in his career, Jefferson is a serviceable player off the bench. A fraction of his supreme athleticism still remains, and he has been the most accurate three-point shooter on Dallas' roster this season at 42.1 percent. Being able to shoot and drive is one of the key qualities of a wing in the Mavs offense, and Jefferson fits the bill.
As Carlisle has utilized smaller lineups, Jefferson's inability to body up power forwards has forced him into a more conservative role. Even so, he remains a veteran who always stays ready, and he can still be a valuable contributor in the right matchup.
9. J.J. Barea
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Barea is another player who has dealt with his minutes going up-and-down, although not quite to the same extent as Jefferson. Whenever a guard in the starting lineup has been hurt, Barea has been the biggest beneficiary, and that has been the case lately.
In February, Barea is playing 31.2 minutes per game, while averaging 11.4 points, 6.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds. He hasn't shot the ball particularly well, but it's a lot harder going up against opposing starters rather than the reserves. Barea himself admitted as much:
"In my career, this is the first time that I’ve started at point guard for a long stretch," Barea said, according to DallasNews.com's Eddie Sefko. "I always started with another point guard. Now I’m starting by myself. It’s great experience for me."
His shot might not have been there lately, but Barea has done an acceptable job making plays for others, while trying to hold his own against starting point guards on the other end.
Even though Barea has been a key cog off the bench all year long, there are a couple of bench players who have stolen the spotlight lately.
8. Charlie Villanueva
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When Villanueva barely squeezed into Dallas' roster on a non-guaranteed contract in training camp, few expected him to make anywhere near the impact he has so far.
In the Mavericks' last seven games, Villanueva has scored 20 or more points twice. His shot has been streaky, but it's hard to stop him when he gets hot.
Villanueva has a quick release, which makes it hard for defenders to close out on him. With so many alternative threats on the floor, he often has an abundance of space to get shots off.
Carlisle has been able to utilize Villanueva as a heat-check guy who goes out, heaves a couple of threes and stays on the court if they are going in.
He is also less of a defensive liability than earlier in the year, when teams would just feed the ball to Villanueva's direct matchup and score at will. He still isn't a particularly good defender, but his effort making rotations and closing out is looking more encouraging.
7. Al-Farouq Aminu
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Aminu had plenty of opportunities to play early in the year, before falling out of the rotation for an extended period of time. He has returned with a bang.
Even though he is still an unreliable three-point shooter, Carlisle hasn't been able to keep Aminu off the floor at times. His energy has been spectacular on both ends, and teammates feed off that.
It appears as though Aminu is finally learning how to utilize his physical gifts on the defensive end, and his versatility has even warranted comparisons with former defensive stopper of the Mavericks Shawn Marion:
"There are similarities," coach Rick Carlisle said of the comparison between Aminu and Marion, according to ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon. "He’s playing a lot of different positions. He’s playing backup center, he’s playing power forward, he’s playing small forward. He guarded some of the perimeter guys. He’s doing a really solid job."
He has been terrific interrupting passing lanes on the perimeter, protecting the rim and even doing an admirable job in the post against the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge.
Aminu's continued development has been encouraging, and it makes his league-minimum contract seem even more of a steal than initially expected.
6. Devin Harris
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Harris practically has the sixth spot on lock down. He is the most important cog of Dallas' bench, but he hasn't done quite enough to push any starter down a spot.
He has shot 36 percent from three-point range this year, one of the best figures of his career. Although he is hitting below 40 percent of his overall field goals for a second straight season, Harris' versatility on both ends of the floor is invaluable.
Even when Rondo is healthy, an argument could be made that Harris is the Mavs' best perimeter defender. He almost never gets lazy, is always moving his feet and can stick to shooters and slashers alike.
His toughness is also something that has been admirable, as he's picked up several nagging injuries without missing any games. Dallas' starting backcourt should have enough time to recover over the All-Star break, and Harris is a nice option to have until then.
5. Rajon Rondo
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There is no doubt Dallas has become a significantly more balanced team since Rondo's arrival. The Mavericks' defense and offense were on the opposite sides of the rankings earlier in the year and have inched toward a more even ground since the big trade.
Rondo gets mixed reviews in his brief career as a Maverick so far. He doesn't get to the line often and has been abysmal once there. The spacing suffers with him on the floor, but he adds another unique threat in transition.
Defensively, Rondo has had trouble shaking off some of the bad habits he developed in the last couple of years with the Boston Celtics. He leaned a ton on former teammate Avery Bradley, rather than taking on the best opposing guards himself.
When Rondo has looked motivated going up against an elite guard, he has often done a great job. He is still capable of playing smothering man-to-man defense, pestering opponents with his long arms. There are times when he gets lazy and just tries to gamble by reaching for steals, while relying too much on help defense.
Rondo is still a competitor that Dallas will want on its side going into the playoffs, but it remains to be seen whether he can answer the call moving forward.
4. Chandler Parsons
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The Mavericks won both games in Chandler Parsons' brief absence in late January, but the absence of his versatile skill set on the wing was evident. He adds a unique threat on the perimeter, and Dallas loses a lot of offensive firepower with him not on the floor.
Parsons is shooting 37.6 percent from deep, which says a lot considering his accuracy was way below his career average during his extended early-season slump. He shot 44.7 percent from long range in December, 37 percent in January and is back to an even 40 percent over the first five February games.
With Rondo, Ellis and Chandler sidelined, Parsons will join Dirk Nowitzki as the team's primary offensive option. He has mostly thrived as a secondary driver, pump-faking and putting the ball on the floor as opponents fly by. He will have to take over some of the ball-handling duties in the absence of the starting backcourt.
3. Monta Ellis
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Taking the whole season in consideration, Ellis has arguably been Dallas' best player (he was No. 1 in our last rankings edition). However, he has been in a bit of a slump, which has caused the drop.
Ellis is still putting up decent numbers in February, but he has needed a lot of attempts to get to his averages. He is shooting 39 percent from the field this month, and going up against tough perimeter defenders has forced him to shoot from the outside a ton, instead of taking the ball to the rim.
Objectively judging Dallas' top three players is hard. They are all invaluable to the team in their own unique ways, so recent form plays a huge part in trying to distinguish between them in the rankings.
Even though Ellis is third on this list this time around, he could very well move back up when he comes back from his hip injury.
2. Dirk Nowitzki
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Nowitzki has quietly worked himself out of a shooting slump, having shot just 27.8 percent from long-range in December. Even though he has been a little streaky, he has put up some huge performances lately. Resting on back-to-backs and playing fewer minutes has allowed him to remain fresh at the time of the season when other players tend to start breaking down.
Dirk made a huge game-tying three to complete the sensational comeback against the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 7, and he is shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 40 percent from long range this month.
Nowitzki's value to the offense remains unchanged. In Rondo's absence, he has returned to being a pick-and-pop threat. When the spacing gets tight, Carlisle can always rely on Dirk to create a shot opportunity out of the post.
As well as Nowitzki has played lately, there is one player who has been getting the job done on both ends of the floor all season long and has earned the top honors in the rankings as a result.
1. Tyson Chandler
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Every player goes through tough stretches during the course of a regular-season marathon, but Chandler has managed to avoid them this year. He has surpassed all expectations since returning to Dallas, and a legitimate argument could be made that he is the Mavs' most important player.
Chandler possesses qualities on both ends of the floor that no other player on the Mavericks' roster can replicate to the same level. He is a great rim protector and one of the best pick-and-roll big men in the entire league.
When Chandler is on the floor, the Mavericks allow 4.1 fewer points per 100 possessions than when he is on the bench, per NBA.com. That is the difference between the 11th- and the 25th-best defense in the league. Outside of Aminu, no other player has an overall higher net rating than Chandler when on the court.
Whenever Chandler goes down with any kind of a knock, the Mavericks faithful hold their collective breaths—and rightfully so, as he is essential to the team's long-term success.
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