The Loss of a Playoff Starter for the Dallas Mavericks Has Been Wildly Exaggerated

While his impact on the team was big last year, there's no reason the Mavericks can't have more success without him

May 30, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Derrick Jones Jr. (55) reacts after a play during the second quarter in game five of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports / Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

People didn't anticipate the significant impact Derrick Jones Jr. would have on the Dallas Mavericks when they signed him to a minimum contract last offseason. He had fallen out of the rotation a few times in Chicago but wanted to prove he could contribute to a winning team and saw a chance to play alongside Luka Doncic.

While Jason Kidd didn't promise him any playing time when he signed, Jones made an immediate impact with his athleticism. He usually guarded the other team's best perimeter player, displayed an incredible dunking ability on offense, and even shot a career-best from three-point range. Playing with Doncic and Kyrie Irving helped simplify things for the high-flyer, increasing his value to the point where he signed a 3-year, $30 million deal this offseason with the LA Clippers.

Dallas will miss what Jones brought to the team but he isn't irreplaceable. His loss was been wildly exaggerated by fans this offseason.

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The first thing fans bring up when discussing Jones is his role as the primary defender with the Mavs. Even though Jones guarded the opposition's best player, the team's defense was disappointing before the trade deadline, sitting 22nd in defensive rating across the NBA. After the deadline brought in P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, excluding the final two games, the Mavs had the second-best defense in the league. Those two brought the toughness and physicality they needed to go on the long postseason run they did.

Jones played a big role in the team's new defensive identity, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still scored 32.2 PPG against the Mavs in the conference semifinals. The NBA is all about screening until the ball-handler gets the matchup they want, especially since most defenses just switch on screens now. What matters, at least in Kidd's defensive schemes, is the big men anchoring the defense.

Gafford and Dereck Lively II gave Dallas a rotating duo of extraordinary rim defenders and athleticism that could stick on the perimeter in a pinch. Paired with a newfound attitude from P.J. Washington's acquisition, Dallas had themselves a new identity.

The other talking point revolving around Jones and the Mavs was his ability to finish lobs, particularly in transition. It brought excitement any time Flight 55 took off but he finished with 62 dunks last season, less than one per game. It's such a niche statistic that doesn't have as much impact on the game as the highlight would often suggest.

Replacing Jones with Naji Marshall should be a perfect fit, especially because Marshall is a much better shooter, and Jones' inconsistency from deep cost the Mavs in The Finals. If you exclude Games 5 and 6 from the OKC series where he found a sudden hot streak from deep, Jones' postseason 3PT% drops from 36.9% to 31.5%, and at times, it felt worse than that. That's one of the primary reasons they brought in Klay Thompson to fill in that starting spot and Marshall can give them a big impact off the bench.

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