The Mavericks have shown 2 different looks on their offense in their first two games.
There were the disjointed Mavericks. Crowded on the pitch and showing Thursday in Atlanta and in the first half Saturday in Toronto, when shots didn’t fall, but many fans’ early-season expectations did.
There is another version of the Mavericks which was much smaller and more rhythmic in its performance against the Raptors. It featured more of Luka Doncic and scored more points than the team from Toronto by the final buzzer.
It is to be determined, which Mavericks offense will show up Tuesday night in the regular-season home opener against Houston.
Kristaps Porzingis Talks About The New Mavericks
Kristaps Porzingis stated that all the teams had realized that the referee was letting them play physically and they were getting used to it and not getting all the little calls. The more they play together, the better the offense will start to look. It is their second game together at this high intensity. They had some moments on Saturday where they looked quite decent and Porzingis believes that it will get better with time.
Early returns from the Jason Kidd Era show several differences from what Denver followers were accustomed to in 13 years with Rick Carlisle as head coach.
The Dallas Mavericks are now focused more on playing big, starting the 7-3 Porzingis at power forward with center Dwight Powell to capitalize on advantages in height. There is a stronger emphasis on crashing for rebounds and gaining second-chance opportunities.
Carlisle’s system has pushed for 3-point shooting and five-out spacing. The Mavericks used tape to mark five boxes around the 3-point arc on their practice courts to remind players of spots and distance.
The squares aren’t there anymore, and the teams’ offensive efficiency has changed, too.
