Luka Doncic's 'Trust Factor' Proves Key in Dallas Mavs' Offensive Growth vs. Memphis Grizzlies

The Mavs displayed impressive results, with Luka Doncic setting the tone against the Grizzlies while Kyrie Irving and other vital players were sidelined.

DALLAS — With a lengthy list of inactive key players, Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to a 120-113 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Slovenian superstar finished with 35 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks but had plenty of needed help, too. 

"Today, they were double-teaming me the whole game, so I'm just trying to get to my spot," Doncic said. "The trust factor was big tonight. Everybody that came on the court gave it all, so I'm really proud of this team. [Markieff Morris] was really big in this game. He stays ready. So, his performance was amazing."

The Mavs relied on players to be the "next-man-up," as they like to call it on Monday, with Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Maxi Kleber all sidelined. During the first half, Derrick Jones Jr. went down with a left quad contusion, requiring rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper and second-year guard Jaden Hardy to take on an even more significant role after having limited roles.

“Obviously, we had a lot of people out,” Doncic said. “I said before the game: ‘Everybody, be ready.’ The trust factor was huge this game.”

Prosper stepped up, recording 11 points and four rebounds while shooting 3-6 from beyond the arc and providing versatile defensive impact. He ended the Mavs' perimeter shooting drought before the end of the first quarter, converting the team's first make from deep after seven straight misses, then made a momentum-building shot in the fourth quarter. He was just among many players who stepped up and made timely contributions on a night vital to the team's outlook. 

"I thought [Oliver-Maxence Prosper] made a big three for us in that stretch because the game was, I think 13 and went back up to 16," Kidd said. "Again, everyone who played tonight deserves credit. Shorthanded, next man-up mentality. They displayed what they've been patient for, and that's getting time, consistent time, and they got it tonight. And we have another one tomorrow."

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic against the Memphis Grizzlies / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Hardy, who tied Doncic as the team's leading 3-point shot maker on the night with five made 3s, knew he had to stay ready to shoot when spacing the floor consistently. Despite being inconsistently involved in the rotation, he was prepared to step up on a night when many shooting threats were out; Doncic trusted him to convert.

“When I'm out there and the ball is finding me, it's just being ready to shoot,” Hardy said. “I feel like if I'm open, I feel like it is going to go in every time I shoot. Just having the confidence when I'm out there.”

Part of Doncic's displaying trust goes beyond making a great passing read to counter aggressive defense and trusting a teammate to convert on an open shot or finish in the paint. One of the Mavs' counters to the Grizzlies' approach was to have Doncic be a ball screener, whether out of double-drag or on high ball screens, punishing the defense for not switching to make dribble penetration easier for teammates.

"I think guys are getting comfortable when you have multiple ball handlers, like [Jaden Hardy] and [Dante Exum], that can use him as a screen because there's no help," Kidd said. "They did that well tonight. We're going to see that most of, if not the rest of the season. And the guys are getting comfortable with that, and he's getting comfortable with that. There's a lot of trust in that locker room. It was displayed again tonight." 

When needed, Doncic played off-the-ball, trusting other initiators like Dante Exum, Hardy, or Seth Curry to get into the half-court offense in a role that tends to be Irving's responsibility when he's available. If the ball found its way back to Doncic, there were less taxing opportunities to attack — including having more catch-and-shoot makes than usual (three) while facing re-drive chances. 

"I think anytime with the double teams, being able to put [Dante Exum], his basketball IQ and his decision making and playmaking, it's great to have that option when [Kyrie Irving] is out," Kidd said. "But I thought [Jaden Hardy] did a great job in that slot of being the playmaker, finding all the right guys tonight, and also looking for a shot. I thought he was great in that position instead of being the shooter he is. 

"It just helps when you have someone like those type of guys in that situation when we're being double-teamed. We've seen enough double teams, and so the guys know what they have to do and it just comes down to making shots. 

Among the various methods the Mavs utilized to counter the Grizzlies' aggressive defensive approach against Doncic was to deploy him around the elbow as one of the bigs in Horns, as opposed to having to initiate the play and be pressured. It's just one of many half-court variations that help a superstar attack without getting pressured while bringing the ball up. 

"Well, I think it just gives him the opportunity where he doesn't have to bring the ball up and work so hard," Kidd said. "Then, the other side of that is where he has a live dribble, and he's capable of passing or playing off the dribble. But it just gives him a chance to rest, to figure out what he wants to do, and then he can see what the defenses are going to do, and if it's going to be a trap, he can string them out, or he can get [Dereck Lively Il] wide open. He's been very successful playing off the elbows."

The Mavs' execution starkly contrasted how the team played when Irving was the sole All-Star available to play in a recent 108-94 loss against this same Grizzlies squad at American Airlines Center. While he did suffer a "tweak" in his foot early, the team wasn't nearly as effective in countering similar face-guarding efforts that Doncic saw in the latest matchup between the two teams, displaying progression as a unit. Irving had 10 points in part of an inefficient performance in that outing. 

"I give a lot of grace to our team," Irving said after the previous matchup. "There are times when it's just me out there, and we're trying to figure out how to get me ball or positions, that I'll be then creating opportunities for me or putting in positions that I could be successful in the offensive end and defensive end. We're getting used to the rhythm of playing with one another still.

"I have to talk more, communicate better where I need the basketball and where we can create better opportunities when they're starting to double me or triple-team me," Irving explained. "Every time I tested the paint tonight, they were all selling out to my drive, and you can tell that they were making an emphasis tonight to deny me the basketball and stay physical."

While it wasn't utilized as often, the Mavs did have some stretches when Doncic began in the dunker's spot before coming up for a handoff — usually a sequence that features a down screen from Irving when he's in the lineup, flowing into a Zoom action handoff. However, this served as a chance for Doncic to be a distributor inside the 3-point line against a defense focused on collapsing on him. 

The Mavs had stretches working the ball to Doncic in the post to force the Grizzlies — often in the second half of the game — forcing them to send a double team from a different spot on the floor. These touches created advantages, and involving him in this way has been an ongoing effort to move him around more in the half-court to apply maximum pressure on the defense while preserving energy. Other options the team has used at times have been to push the pace and deploy him in off-the-ball actions out of the corner, whether it's a double wide-pindown or Zoom action.

"I think just moving him around on the floor so you can't just load up on him," Kidd said earlier this season. "But I think it all starts with his pace. When he's playing fast, the way he's throwing him and pushing the ball, getting the ball up around over half-court with 21 on the clock, it's hard to hang on to him and bump him. 

"And so, I think when you look at his pace, and you're moving him around on the floor, and then trying to get him in the post a little bit more here, just to see how teams are going to play that, it's hard to load up and just put three or four people. So we're just, we're trying to move him around."

As the Mavs continue to build continuity throughout the season, there are more options with the latest version of the roster compared to previous seasons due to having more capable threats to initiate the offense and attack the paint. Those efforts will only be expanded when Doncic and Irving are both in the lineup.