Mavs Shooting Debate: Mark Cuban Thinks Its New Ball, Reggie Bullock Responds

Dallas Mavericks Reggie Bullock gave Dallasbasketball.com some insight as to what the transition to the Wilson ball meant to him.

Wednesday night versus the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks wing Reggie Bullock lit up the scoreboard with a season-best shooting performance 24 games into the season. 

On a night where Luka Doncic shot his best percentage from the floor (free throws aside), with a 65.4 true shooting percentage, Bullock's shooting performance stood out higher than the Mavs’ superstar. 

Bullock shot 4 of 6 from deep on Wednesday, and his single-game true shooting percentage was an eye-popping 100.8. Despite the Mavs not playing their best game overall against Memphis, Bullock’s shooting (and his season-best 16 points) ensured that Dallas still won the game comfortably.

As the Mavericks' top free-agent signing over the offseason, the ‘3-and-D’ Bullock was expected to be a seamless fit next to Doncic. Unfortunately, those expectations haven’t been met yet, as Bullock has shot under 30-percent from deep on the season so far through 24 games.

With Bullock being a 38.5-percent three-point shooter for his career, what could be the reason for such an uncharacteristic drop in performance this season?

Twitter, which is not precisely the end-all platform of anything, does tend to push buttons and start an honest discourse. Wednesday afternoon saw Mavericks owner Mark Cuban express his feelings on the NBA changing from Spalding to the Wilson basketball as being the reason for players’ shooting struggles.

 

So I was curious to compare 3PT shooting this yr vs last. https://t.co/PDyio40VdT For the top 20 3PAs, last yr for the season, 38.6%, this yr 35%. Crazy thing, this yr 11 of the 20 are < 35%, last yr only 2 were. And only ONE is above 40% this yr vs 4 last yr.

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) December 8, 2021

Cuban then went on to say that he believes the players are still adjusting to the new ball.

These uncharacteristically bad shooting numbers go further than just the Mavericks, though. Earlier this season, Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George expressed his grievances aimed at the Wilson ball. 

“It doesn’t have the same touch or softness that the Spalding ball had. You’ll see this year, it’s going to be a lot of bad misses. I think you’ve seen a lot of airballs so far this season."

What is Bullock's take on the league going with the brand they haven't endorsed since 1983? 

"It was definitely an adjustment for me coming into this year,” said Bullock. In all fairness, it's expected for some dips to occur, considering professional sports is filled with creatures of habit. 

In 2006, the league briefly flirted with experimentation by abruptly switching the game ball from its normal leather to a microfiber Spalding ball. Obviously, this year's switch doesn't fall in the "experimental" column, but ignoring it completely seems unwise.

Again, professional athletes eventually adjust, though. 

"I can't really talk about the ball, because when I look across the league and see the shooters that's shooting the pill pretty well, it's about me continuing my reps,” said Bullock. 

Without fully claiming that Bullock is back in the saddle after just one explosive game, witnessing his performance in Memphis ignites optimism about what could come over the rest of his NBA season.

Friday night vs. the Indiana Pacers didn't exactly move the needle either way for Bullock, as the nine-year veteran only shot the ball twice in 22 minutes of action, finishing with zero points in a 106-93 loss at Indy (full story here).

Bullock will get another shot at conquering the Wilson ball Sunday in Oklahoma City against the 8-16 Thunder.