Jameer Nelson: Finding His Range In Dallas
It’s really something what a change of scenery can do for an NBA player. The Dallas Mavericks saw this firsthand last year with shooting guard Monta Ellis. Mired in a difficult situation in Milwaukee, Ellis found it difficult to find to scoring opportunities that he did not have to create for himself. Making matters worse, the Bucks were lacking other weapons that would take the focus off of Ellis in the half-court offense.
Despite the challenges of playing in Milwaukee, Ellis averaged 19.2 points and six assists per game for a Bucks team that won only 38 games. While Ellis was a productive offensive player, the quality of the shots he generated was often lacking. Ellis shot 41.6 percent from the field, the lowest field-goal percentage he had posted since his rookie year during the 2005-06 season.
When the Mavericks’ signed Monta Ellis to a three-year contract during the 2013 offseason, there was hope that the on-court situation in Dallas would be a positive fit for Ellis and his offensive game. Ellis found himself surrounded by a legitimate star in Dirk Nowitzki, and a motion-based offense that suited his skills well.
It took little time for it to be evident that Ellis was an ideal fit in Dallas. Did Ellis completely re-invent himself in the 2013 offseason, or did the vastly improved situation in Dallas make it easier for him to succeed?
Ellis’ shooting percentage from the field jumped from 41.6 to 45.1 percent from the 2012-13 season in Milwaukee to the 2013-14 season in Dallas. His shooting from three-point range saw a noticeable jump as well as he went from shooting 28.7 in Milwaukee to 33 percent in Dallas.
Ellis went from being labeled an inefficient player to a highly effective player in the span of a season. Ellis didn’t radically change his game, but he did take advantage of Rick Carlisle‘s scheme and the on-court situation with Dallas that suited his skill set.
The Mavericks were looking to add a point guard when they signed veteran Jameer Nelson to a two-year contract during the offseason. Nelson (32) carries career averages of 12.6 points and 5.4 assists per game into the Dallas lineup. Nelson comes from the Orlando Magic, where he is the career leader in assists (3,501) and ranks third in three-pointers made (874).
Things took a turn for the worse in Orlando when the Magic decided to rebuild following the trade of Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers on Aug. 10, 2012. The Magic went from being a perennial playoff contender to a team that won a total of 43 games over the last two seasons.
Like most players on the Magic, Nelson benefited from Howard’s presence in the post. Howard left the Magic’s perimeter players with quality looks from the outside when teams decided to double team him down low. Howard would quickly kick the ball out of the post where it would then swing around the perimeter to an open shooter.
Those quality looks essentially left town when Howard forced himself out of Orlando. Lacking a co-star in the Magic offense, Nelson’s shooting took a hit as quality shooting opportunities became much harder to find. Nelson’s percentage from the field and from three-point range both took a hit the last two seasons.
Taking a look at Nelson’s shooting percentage throughout his career, compared to the last two seasons indicates just how much he was affected by the rebuilding effort taking place in Orlando. Like Monta Ellis the year before him, Nelson is now in a great position to improve on last year’s numbers on a talent-laden Dallas roster.
On Oct. 17 , the Mavericks visited the Cleveland Cavaliers and Jameer Nelson showed he is quickly becoming quite comfortable in the Dallas offense. Nelson’s shooting ability was on full display as he had 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. He also showed off his shooting ability from downtown, hitting 4-of-6 shots from three-point range.
Nelson is finding that sharing the court with Dirk Nowitzki, Monta Ellis and Chanlder Parsons has its advantages. This was the first time that the Mavericks’ projected starting five shared the court together and the results were impressive.
Nelson found himself open a number of times and he had no issues connecting from downtown while facing little pressure from Cleveland. The Mavericks half-court offense is going to force opposing teams to make difficult decisions when it comes to deciding who they want to focus on containing.
Regardless of the approach taken against Dallas, there is a good chance Nelson will benefit from open looks throughout the season. It’s still early, but this is exactly what Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson had in mind when they signed Nelson. Like Monta Ellis did the year before, look for Jameer Nelson to bounce back nicely with this Dallas team. What a difference a year can make.