Dallas Mavericks: Consistency Is Key To Continued Success

The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the best teams in the league so far this season but they will need to stay consistent to keep their momentum rolling.

The Dallas Mavericks are off to a hot start. They are 9-4, which is good enough for third place in the West, just a half-game games behind the Spurs, who own second. The Mavs’ current six-game win streak has allowed many of their strengths to be shown and has proved that they aren’t going to bow down, like many thought they would do this season.

Consistency is a word that is used a lot in basketball. Whether it’s referring to a player’s stats or a a certain roster rotation, the word “consistency” is very important for teams like the Mavs. It’s what they will need in order to keep up their solid play and show that they are real and there have been a few things working in their favor early on.

Minute restrictions were something the Mavs knew they would have to deal with coming into the season. With Chandler Parsons recovering from knee surgery and Wesley Matthews recovering from a torn Achilles, the team was not going to be 100 percent to begin the season.

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Early in the season, Matthews did not play as many minutes as normal and still has not started playing back-to-backs yet. Parsons has been worked into the lineup slowly. At first, he was only playing in the first half but now he has worked his way into both halves with minute totals around 20.

It was not clear how these restrictions would impact the team but so far they have not been a distraction and the Mavs are thriving despite limitations.

Another working part for the Mavs is their newest starters. Deron Williams has been a pleasant surprise to many and he looks very comfortable in his hometown. Though he hasn’t exactly been efficient throughout the entire 48 minutes of games, he has come up big in the clutch, when it matters most.

Matthews has provided the Mavs with an elite defending presence that they have not had in the past and he is often seen matched up with any elite guard that the Mavs play.

Last, but certainly not least, is Zaza Pachulia. The Mavs traded for him soon after the DeAndre Jordan saga unfolded. They knew they had a tough player who loved initiating contact in the paint but I don’t think they counted on him averaging a double-double and being a legitimate playmaker on the court.

The Mavs’ defensive strategy has also worked out well for them. In 2014, they were tied for the 24th-best defense in the league and that cost them a lot of easy games. This season, they are tied for 12th and they look a lot smoother on defense. With more blocks and more steals, they are messing up the flow of their opponents in ways that they couldn’t last season.

By putting all of these things together, it’s obvious that the Mavs have everything they need to succeed. The question is all about if they can stay consistent enough to make sure their good start does not go to waste. Inconsistency killed them late in the 2014-15 season and was the cause of a few lost spots in the West.

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If they are able to effectively keep their team playing the way they are right now, they can stay near the top of the West and be viewed as contenders but it’s early and a lot of different issues can arise such as injuries. The bottom line is that consistency is going to be the one factor that determines if these Mavs have a great season or fall into mediocrity.