The Dallas Mavericks must find a new style of offense

The Dallas Mavericks finally snapped their three game losing streak Wednesday night, when they beat the Memphis Grizzlies 104-96. What seemed like an eternity, proved to be a blessing in disguise. You see over the past 14 games, Dallas had won just five matches.

In six of those losses, the team failed to even make it over 100 points. In other games, the Mavs failed to get any scoring support beyond Luka Doncic.

There are numerous issues that can be pointed out, but at the end of it this is something that must be figured out before time runs out.

What is the real problem this season?

One main concern this season has been the team’s ability to knock down their three-point shots. This season Dallas ranks in the bottom seven in terms of the team’s three-point percentage. Overall Dallas has hit 33 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. Compare the numbers to last season and the Mavs had a 36.4 percent. Over the last three games the team has hit just 29.5 percent of their long-range shots.

Look back at the Brooklyn Nets game Tuesday. The Mavs attempted 46 threes and known down just nine shots. Players like Doncic went 3 of 11 from the arc and starting guard Reggie Bullock missed all six of his attempts. Tim Hardaway failed to convert any of his attempts, while Kristaps Porzingis went 1 of 6.

So, could there be a three point problem in Dallas? 

Mostly certainly! This leads into the next point in that the team ranks dead last when it comes points in the paint. To put it into simpler terms, the Mavs are not putting in shots around the basket such as layups, dunks and post ups down low.

To further analyze the situation Dallas must figure out why the Mavericks are racking up so many threes and not hitting shots down low. The team has the  ability to score in the paint. If you analyze Doncic’s handles, he has the ability to cross over his opponents and convert down low. However, this does not seem like the case this season.

The coaching staff needs to encourage player like Doncic and Jalen Brunson to attack down low and not be so predictable from the three.

However if you further break down the situation, the group has never been good at hitting baskets in the paint. During their 2010-2011 run, Dallas was the second worst team when it came to points in the paint.

This season thought, the team has bigger concerns. This NBA year the Dallas Mavericks rank 26 in points per game. Currently the group averages around 104 points. Compare that to a team like the Charlotte Hornets and they are scoring 10 points less.

Just  two years ago the team ranked second in points per game and averaged a mere 117 points.

So what is the difference now?

A new coaching staff? The unforgettable loss of Seth Curry? Or could it be the new ball the league implemented this season? The COVID impact?

It is really hard to pinpoint one thing, however what we do know is that the team’s offensive game has drastically dropped.

If the team has hopes of making a deep playoff run, drastic changes must be implemented soon or the team could be in for a long season.