Dallas Mavericks: Breaking Down Amar’e Stoudemire’s Dallas Debut

Albeit it was against the Charlotte Hornets, Amar’e Stoudemire exceeded all expectations in his Dallas Mavericks debut.

Stoudemire was asked to just be a big body, but that’s desperately what the Mavericks needed. Not only did they need a big, but they needed one who could make an impact in two ways: offense and rebounding.

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His final stat line from Dallas’ win over Charlotte: 14 points, three rebounds in 11 minutes.

The Mavericks won 92-81.

It was essential for Dallas to get Stoudemire involved offensively early on. Although that strategy produced two missed shots, Stoudemire looked comfortable. The Mavericks tried to get him involved in one-on-one situations, and even in the pick-and-roll, where Brandan Wright flourished for Dallas.

His first points as a Maverick did come in the pick-and-roll variety, but that aforementioned rebounding need is on full display here.

A couple of things to notice on this play. First, the strength Stoudemire displays when going up for this offensive rebound. While Wright was a great rebounder in his own right, he was just too slim. Wright also doesn’t possess the strength to go back to the basket and attempt a quality shot.

The majority of Wright’s points came on lobs and drives to the basket. Stoudemire can do all that, but he becomes a more polished offensive weapon when he can attack the offensive glass, evidence of that.

Plus, it takes some serious stones to go back up with three defenders around him and still get a good shot off. That play was all Stoudemire, and is an example of what he can do on a nightly basis.

This is the best way to describe Stoudemire’s first quarter: It was the basketball equivalent of the State of the Union address. You know when Barack Obama says something, and then the Democrats (sometimes Republicans on a good day) stand up and applaud him?

OK, you get the picture. Now watch the conclusion of the last play, and come back to this one.

Everybody claps, sits down. Gets back up to clap, sit down. That was, in a nutshell, Stoudemire’s night on Sunday. The beauty of this play is that, post-Wright, Devin Harris would have to take the tough shot in the lane. More than likely, Dwight Powell or Greg Smith is not finishing that in the paint.

Even with bad knees and plenty of mileage during his 13-year NBA career, Stoudemire can still be an effective finisher. You can’t teach 6-foot-11. He can still dunk.

An interesting note to Stoudemire’s night is that two of his three rebounds in 11 minutes were offensive. That was the most impressive aspect of his night. Keep in mind, Stoudemire was averaging 12 points and six rebounds in almost 24 minutes while in New York.

If you’re a fan of absurd averages, if he played 13 more minutes, Stoudemire would’ve scored 28 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes.

But again, it was the Charlotte Hornets. They’re not really the best team to get a quality sample size out of. But early indications show Stoudemire is going to be just fine in this Dallas offense.

He doesn’t need to do much, and anything he does in about 20 minutes a night will be a bonus for Dallas. Stoudemire played mostly with the second unit on Sunday night, and as the Mavericks welcome the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, there’s a good chance he’ll be getting some run with the starters.

Seeing him work with Rajon Rondo and Dirk Nowitzki in a more extended role will be an interesting dynamic to watch for.

You can see Stoudemire’s highlights in the video below. Just watch the alley-oop starting around the 1-minute mark. That’s probably the greatest thing of all time.

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