Mavs Film Study: Can Dallas Defense Get Back on Track? - 'We Have To Work'

The Dallas Mavericks' defensive struggles were displayed in their recent loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Can they turn it around?

DENVER — The Dallas Mavericks have struggled to improve defensively since Maxi Kleber sustained a torn hamstring injury, keeping him sidelined since Dec. 12. Having to part with Dorian Finney-Smith as part of the trade package to acquire Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets certainly further complicated their outlook. 

"You're not going to win a championship only by offense. You got to get stops," Mavs superstar Luka Doncic said regarding the need for defensive improvement. "But we've shown we can do this, so we got to keep working on this."

The latest display of defensive shortcomings for the Mavs occurred during their 124-121 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. The team had allowed a staggering 100 points through three quarters, and the hole they had dug for themselves made receiving Kyrie Irving's 26 fourth-quarter points insufficient to achieve a comeback successfully.

"We weren't aggressive enough. They were more aggressive than us," Doncic said. "How we came back was by getting stops and that's how we have to work. We have to work on our defense."

It's no secret the Mavs have struggled to get stops defensively. It's no surprise as they have produced a 115.1 defensive rating (22nd) on the season. A significant issue has been a combination of an inability to contain dribble penetration on the perimeter and a lack of an imposing rim protection presence. They have allowed 64.0 opponent points in the paint per game over their last three contests — more than any team in the NBA during this span.

"No (it's not an issue). We're here to outscore people. People come to see points, not 80-80. We're here to score. This is the new NBA. Interior defense — we'll figure it out. One of our defenders — when we talk about our defense — Maxi's out; hopefully, we get him back after the (All-Star) break."

Kidd explained: "The way that we competed in that fourth quarter — everybody was small. Interior defense is about want and will, and that group did that. We have an offensive team that can put a lot of points on the board. We spotted them 20 points and found a way to come down to the last possession."

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd is not concerned about the team's interior defense after the loss vs. Timberwolves:

"No (it's not an issue). We're here to outscore people. People come to see points, not 80-80. We're here to score. This is the new NBA. Interior defense — we'll figure… pic.twitter.com/D4gfEg6QJv

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) February 14, 2023

The "dirty work" categories as a whole have been concerning recently for the Mavs. They've given up an average of 17.7 points off turnovers (T-21st), 16.7 fast break points (T-25th), and 16.0 second-chance points (23rd). Including scoring in the paint, these are all categories that can add up to be either real advantages or concerns. During this span, they've produced the NBA's fifth most efficient offense, but have been a net neutral team due to 122.8 defensive rating (27th). 

From a 30,000-foot view, the Mavs currently lack a lot of the general player archetypes that you'd find from an elite defense. They are a smaller perimeter that often gives up size and doesn't have any on-ball defensive stoppers. They lack an imposing rim protector. There isn't a legitimate threat to make low-man rotations with size and length to challenge finishes at the rim either.

It doesn't take long to see some areas needing major improvement in order for the Mavs to turn things around defensively when observing recent game film. A play always begins with the initial advantage at the point of attack. Let's begin there. Dallas has struggled to stay in front of rival stars on a consistent basis. 

Anthony Edwards, in particular, often had too easy of a time just simply blowing by the point of attack defender and not feeling resistance from the Mavs' in help. It didn't matter who was the on-ball defender in these situations. Whether it was Reggie Bullock or Frank Ntilikina, Edwards was able to thrive. 

Containing a star player is never easy given that's why they are elite players. However, there were plenty of instances when the Timberwolves attacked closeouts that the Mavs often proved unable to offer resistance. The end result ranged from finishes at the rim, to dropoff passes to a relief option in the dunker's spot, or a spray-out pass to an open shooter. It puts a lot of stress on a unit when containment fails in this way. 

A prime example of what cannot happen is allowing Kyle Anderson to keep it on a dribble handoff to drive straight to the rim. Luka Doncic, who did get blown by often against the Timberwolves, was focused on the possibility of Anderson giving the ball up and offered no resistance. This play was made possible due to not trusting the switch before Edwards cut through the lane out of the Horns set. 

There were even instances when the Mavs' bigs were getting attacked off the dribble by Gobert and Reid. It's actually Reid's game to take players off the bounce, so that isn't necessarily an alarming outcome. But Gobert? That's not his game and those are a concerning set of sequences to see on film. 

A significant part of what made the Mavs successful defensively last season was their ability to swam around the half-court to help against drives and after running shooters off the line. It requires a higher level of communication, real-time recognition of play development, and a willingness to make extra efforts. Dallas left shooters open against the Timberwolves when that type of execution didn't occur. 

As previously mentioned, the Mavs' inability to trust their switching causes real limitations. It made it far more challenging to contain the Timberwolves when guarding simple half-court actions. When the on-ball defender went over a handoff or a re-screen, there wasn't a sufficient presence made available by the low-man on the weak-side help rotation. 

The Mavs avoided sending two defenders at the ball frequently since it's difficult to trust the backline of the defense to make the subsequent rotations. When they did, there was a possession when 6-foot-4 Green had to challenge Gobert at the rim and was nowhere near able to do so. While on-ball defense naturally draws significant attention, this is a major area where Finney-Smith is missed. 

If a player with the level of athleticism that Green has is unable to make a play as the low-man in help defense, chances are likely that Doncic will be unable to do so either. He had an instance of needing to make that rotation early with Gobert rim rolling as the ball handler of a side ball screen drew two defenders. 

When the Mavs attempted to maintain the integrity of their ball screen coverage by having the big defender stay between the rim roller and the basket, it was a challenge to provide resistance. The team's undersized at the options were further magnified in these situations. 

Finishing possessions requires someone to come down with a defensive rebound. For an undersized team going up against one of the NBA's annually highest defensive rebounding players in the league, Rudy Gobert, they proved unable to contain the Timberwolves on the offensive boards. It went well beyond just Gobert. A lack of assertiveness in getting a body on wings led to putbacks, too. 

There is a combination of natural limitations due to size and skill that are holding the Mavs back defensively. That's an undeniable fact. However, there are shortcomings occurring in the details of the game that should be controllable for anybody that puts on the uniform and checks into the game that just aren't getting accomplished right now. 

The Mavs' final chance to produce a quality defensive performance before the All-Star break is on Wednesday against the reigning two-time NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic. The game is at Ball Arena, a location where the Nuggets have won 19 consecutive games.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here.

Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.

Follow Grant Afseth on Twitter.