Dallas Mavericks: Future Success Relies On Point Guard Position
By Cole Mentzel
The starting point guard role for the Dallas Mavericks has changed a lot since 2011. Finding consistency there will be the key to improvement.
The history of the Dallas Mavericks is filled with talented point guards. Whether it was the original guards from the 1980’s, like Derek Harper and Brad Davis, or the guards that helped Dirk Nowitzki through his prime like Steve Nash and Jason Kidd, the position has been strong for the team throughout the years.
But since the championship in 2011, the Mavs have had a rather shaky situation at point guard. In 2008, they brought Jason Kidd back to the team via trade and he would go on to be a critical piece in their title run, but he signed with the New York Knicks in the summer of 2012 and left the Mavs in a tough situation.
They rebounded by trading center Ian Mahinmi to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Dahntay Jones and Darren Collison.
At the time, the trade looked promising for the Mavs. Collison was set to serve as their new starting point guard and had averaged double-digit scoring totals in each of his first three seasons.
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Despite his best efforts, Collison’s 12.0 points and 5.1 assists per game wasn’t enough, as veteran guard Mike James replaced him down the stretch in a season that saw the Mavs miss the playoffs for the first time since the 1999-00 campaign.
During the 2013 free agency period, the Mavs branched out and signed sharpshooter Jose Calderon to a four-year, $29 million deal, serving as the team’s first long-term contract since Dirk Nowitzki received a new deal in 2010.
Calderon — paired with Monta Ellis — would go on to create an offensive-based backcourt in Dallas, ultimately leading the Mavs back to the playoffs where they would push the San Antonio Spurs to a Game 7 before being eliminated.
The summer of 2014 saw Calderon get traded to the New York Knicks in a package deal that sent former center Tyson Chandler back to the Mavs along with Raymond Felton. They Mavs would complete their summer by bringing in veteran point guard Jameer Nelson, as the team would jump out of the gates with one of the best offenses in the league in 2014-15.
Halfway through the season, the Mavs completed a trade for Rajon Rondo, who had undergone surgeries for a torn ACL and left metacarpal fracture in the past two years.
He was brought in to become the next superstar in a long line of Mavs point guards but, as we know, that didn’t happen. The season went from bad to worse as the Mavs — who had looked like a potential contender for the championship — fell flat in the playoffs and lost a five-game series to the Houston Rockets. That led to the questioning of Rondo’s future.
Once that incident was taken care of, the Mavs suffered through DeAndre Jordan‘s (in)decision in 2015 and would eventually sign Deron Williams after his massive contract was bought out by the Brooklyn Nets.
In 2015-16, Williams turned out to be better than expected, averaging 14.1 points, 5.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 32.4 minutes per game. He became one of the Mavs’ best players in late-game moments as he would average 3.7 points in clutch situations (per NBA.com).
He only played in 65 regular season games due to injury and eventually had his season ended in the playoffs because of a sports hernia, but he provided veteran play that the Mavs benefitted from.
This summer, he returned to the Mavs on a one-year deal worth $10 million after the team failed to lure Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley to Dallas.
As a result, the Mavs will have the same starting point guard for more than one season for the first time since Jason Kidd’s stint from 2008-12.
Head coach Rick Carlisle spoke on Williams and the upcoming year (via Mavs.com):
"“He had a sports hernia in the playoffs that really kind of screwed up our chances in that series. But the one game that we won, he had 11 points in the first half and kind of got us going. So, he’s still a tremendous player. And he’s from Dallas, so I know he likes being back home. We love having him there.”"
So where does that leave the Mavs now?
This summer, the team made an obvious effort to get younger and to prepare for life after Dirk Nowitzki. They handed out their max money to 24-year-old Harrison Barnes and they signed both Seth Curry and Quincy Acy to deals so they have more bench power.
The Mavs, as a team, have continued to make progress towards the future by going younger, but they haven’t exactly gotten younger at the point guard position. Sure, there was nothing they could do this past offseason. They did all they could to lure Mike Conley, and Deron Williams was the best option they had left.
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But if anything, the Mavs have proved they are a better team when one of their best players is their point guard.
Don’t get me wrong. I think Deron Williams is the perfect fit for this team and I believe he would be capable of taking them deep into the playoffs if they had a team that was built for a Finals run, but you just can’t trust his health. You never know when he might suffer from another minor injury that leaves him sidelined for a week or so.
Williams is the best option the Mavs have at the position right now, but you have to think they’ll start investing some serious time on the point guard market over the course of the next few seasons.
Take a look at what’s next. Kyle Lowry will be available in 2017. Isaiah Thomas will be on the market in the summer of 2018.
While the Mavs certainly aren’t in a bad position right now, they’ll have to look beyond Williams once Nowitzki retires. They’ll need a proven, yet somewhat younger, point guard to pair with Harrison Barnes if they are planning on getting back into championship contention in a new era.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from watching the Mavs in the past 16-18 years, it’s that the point guard position is key to their success. Check 2003 and 2011. With prospects at the forward and center positions, the team will need to put their future focus on adding a long-term point guard to run the floor in a different era of Mavs basketball.