Assessing where Dennis Smith needs to improve for the Dallas Mavericks

How the Mavericks can revitalize Smith Jr.

With J.J. Barea out for an extended period of time, the Dallas Mavericks have potentially got a problem for their bench unit. Barea’s constant high pick-and-rolls and offensive energy have made the Mavs the best bench unit in the NBA, and it is unlikely that Devin Harris is going to really provide much as a sole creator at his age. He’s almost exclusively been used off-ball in his second spell with the team.

Dallas can make the most of this situation and attempt to get Smith back on board as the leader of the bench unit. He could still start, but his minutes could become more staggered with the likes of Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber, as opposed to the way he’s been previously. They have barely attempted to get Smith playing with the bench unit so far this season, likely because his skill-set doesn’t really mesh with Barea’s on paper.

This is not going to turn Smith into a serviceable Carlisle point guard who plays with real court vision overnight, but this is the type of thing that could revitalize him. What this will take, is Smith’s entourage and agents to stop interfering. There are reports from Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning Sports News suggesting the ball is in Dennis Smith Jr.’s court.

This mere lineup change would help Smith a lot, but there needs to be more schematic changes to help elevate his game. As of now, DSJ is running a lot of high pick-and-rolls and transition plays. Essentially, Smith is given the ball in the half-court in a one-on-one situation and asked to make a play. Sure, some of the PnR designs are good, but Smith so far has struggled to be consistent in isolation-style attack situations.

Something Dallas could do, and admittedly something it has tried to do, is get Smith in an off-ball screen for him to attack downhill. The Portland Trail Blazers do an excellent job getting CJ McCollum to attack downhill off flare screens.

I’m not suggesting that Smith and McCollum have similar skill-sets, but using flare screens is a good way to get your secondary guard to have an advantage downhill. Equally though, Smith will still need to improve his reads in order to succeed consistently on this play-type.

To put it simply, Dallas is right to potentially be concerned with Smith’s long-term fit, and also over his general play. He plays at his own pace, and hasn’t shown much as a playmaker or a consistent downhill guard who can get to the line.

But there is enough good there for Mavericks fans to rightly be pleading with Rick Carlisle to stay patient. This saga appears far from over, with Smith’s camp reportedly still unhappy.