NBA Summer League: Mavs Seek Major Improvements vs. 76ers

The Mavs have some key problem areas to address as the team emphasizes the development of Jaden Hardy, Dereck Lively II, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

LAS VEGAS — The first matchup for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League was a challenging one, as they lost 91-80 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Between Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams anchoring the OKC defense, with Cason Wallace being disruptive on the ball, the Mavs were put to the test when operating out of the half-court. 

Among the issues the Mavs encountered was a struggle to handle the Thunder deploying aggressive help at the nail during high pick-and-roll. Additionally, Dallas often reverted to quick pull-ups in high pick-and-roll sequences as opposed to getting teammates involved. 

"For sure. 14 assists, 18 turnovers, [Jaden] Hardy, McKinley Wright over dribbling at the nail have to swing [pass]," Dudley said. "You understand if they'll help you out once you pass it once they make shots. So we went over and practiced to re-drive. So I expect here them getting off the nail ball early, us re-driving trying to hit that corner three. 

"But you know, that's how we are on defense. The difference is they made their 3s and then they re-drive and had the corner shots," Dudley explained. "Big emphasis on that and the more we play, the more reps they get, and the understanding of some guys they're not used to playing with, but it doesn't matter. It's just like it's pickup. You're trying to get used to the guy, get off the ball."

With Jaden Hardy being the main offensive focus of the Summer Mavs squad, the team needs him to continue to find the balance between being an aggressive scorer and passing. He finished with 24 points and had a good performance overall, but there are elements to his approach that are a work-in-progress as he develops. 

"Listen, he's the guy who takes three steps forward, one step back each time. He has so many of the best defenders guarding him at all times. He has to stop over-dribbling as much. I told him, 'Listen, I told you're gonna get an 18 to 20 shots.' Which is about right. He had it. 

The Mavs would like to see the offense utilize the "unselfish" bigs they have more often as opposed to having the guards looking so much to score early. By playing through the bigs, the guards could create simpler scoring chances.

"There are times when he can play, get [action] game, throw it to the big [like] CJ McCollum," Dudley explained. "There are times when he has to cut through, be a screener, let McKinley [Wright] and AJ [Lawson] and other guys curl off you so that now when it's a switch, you have a weaker defender, and now the ball's coming back."

"We have three, I keep saying, unselfish bigs," Dudley said. "And so sometimes just watching the film, taking a breather, and it takes the second, third, fourth practice for him to understand and going through these games."

The Mavs did have some possessions attempting to counter this strategy by pushing in transition and getting creative with screening actions, between double-drag and Stack pick-and-roll. The goal was to help take pressure off the ball handlers to create more favorable opportunities to attack the rim. 

"I have them do the two pick and roll push in transition with the first one a little bit higher up, so then [Jaden] Hardy can get down when it's right," Hardy said. "And that our bigs are so athletic when it comes to [Dereck] Lively, where he gets behind the defense with some speed and it makes it an easier read for Hardy, especially when he has some speed coming down instead of in the half-court when [the defense] can be physical with him."

The Thunder's talented offensive threats posed a major challenge for the Mavs' defense, who was operating on just one full practice with two integral starters — Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper. With multiple pick-and-pop threats at the five spot in the Thunder's rotation, executing the Veer switching concept that the team has focused a lot of practice time on proved challenging to utilize.

"We struggle with the five-man popping — Veer," Dudley said. "[Dereck] Lively got one rep of practice to be able to do that and then the five-out where the big is up top. Listen, we beat Utah Jazz in the playoffs series because we put Rudy Gobert up top, and it's hard for those bigs to know the rotation. So we worked on that, watched film on that. 

Another problem the Mavs encountered was their execution in handling guard-to-guard screening sequences. There were a few times when the switch call wasn't made quickly enough or executed properly. Again, these are examples of more challenging principles that tend to require some continuity within the group. 

"This league is about finding a mismatch," Dudley said. "So the guard-to-guard screen, you saw a man slip out, hit a three, you gotta be physical — call Red, which is our switch call — push 'em up, and if it's not their emergency, level at the top of the key. But I mean, you guys watch these games, we're going one hundred miles an hour. Guys are getting tired at different times. They're playing hard, and now we just have to slow down even defensively."

The Mavs' next chance to show progression in key areas will be on Monday in a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. 

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Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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