Dallas Mavericks: Kristaps Porzingis’s rim protection is badly missed

Kristaps Porzingis’s absence leaves the Dallas Mavericks more vulnerable on both sides of the ball. His return will bolster an improving defensive unit.

The Dallas Mavericks have been just fine so far. You would hope a team looking to win a championship would look better than “fine” but they’re currently without their second-best player and have a record of 4-4, which has them tied with six other teams for the Western Conference’s fourth seed. Although the Mavericks don’t look as strong as they did last season, it’s time to even look at the panic button.

Kristaps Porzingis will be a big boost when he returns from injury, which could be as soon as next week. His long-range shooting and stout interior defense will greatly benefit Dallas. The latter skill is the most crucial one, as Porzingis could play a key part in an improved Mavericks defense.

Dallas’ 106.4 defensive rating ranks 10th in the league, which is a five-point increase from the prior season without their best defender. They have held opponents to 32.8 percent 3-point shooting, the fourth-lowest mark in the league, and forced them into committing 16.5 turnovers per game, more than all but six teams.

The Mavericks’ offense, meanwhile, is average at the moment, scoring just 108.9 points per 100 possessions. But that’s not a grave concern. The offense posted the highest offensive rating in NBA history last season, so there is reason to believe that it will eventually improve from mediocrity, especially if Luka Doncic’s 3-point shooting gets going.

The defense was Dallas’ weakness last season but at the moment, it’s the team’s strength. This trend probably won’t continue – general manager Donnie Nelson didn’t remake the roster and change the teams identity in one shortened offseason. If this early improvement can sustain, even a lower level of improvement, Dallas could be in better shape than they were last season.

In order to keep a top-notch defense, the Dallas Mavericks will have to improve its rim protection. Their opponents shoot 67.2 percent on shots five feet or close to the hoop, which is tied for the fifth-highest mark league-wide. Dallas’s centers – Dwight Powell and Willie Cauley-Stein have combined for only seven blocks so far, a mark that guards Zach LaVine, Jaylen Brown and De’Aaron Fox have matched on their own.

Defensive replacements for the Dallas Mavericks aren’t cutting it

Powell, who started the first six games, is coming off an Achilles rupture that sidelined him for roughly 11 months. Perhaps his defense will improve as he gets more reacquainted with the game. In order for him to be a truly useful wingman to Doncic, it’ll have to.

Powell’s seven-foot wingspan is unimpressive for a player standing 6-foot-10 but he still has explosive jumping abilities. Someone with his athleticism should be a good defender but that’s not the case. He isn’t intimidating at all near the basket and he isn’t effective outside of the paint.

Coby White, a featherweight, moves Powell out of the way with ease on this drive. Powell’s footwork is choppy and it gives him a weak base, which doesn’t allow him to prevent White’s drive.

Another problem of Powell’s is that he doesn’t move well laterally. Since the game is more perimeter-centric than ever, big men need to be able to move side-to-side to play defense. They can’t rely on solely being a brick wall in the paint, especially when they play in a scheme like Rick Carlisle’s, where they are sometimes tasked with defending guards.

Coby Martin moving at less than full speed easily froze Powell and got a layup on him in Dallas’ blowout loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

These weaknesses are underscored by Dallas’ switch-happy defensive scheme. The Mavericks will switch defenders when screens are set, which puts slow-footed bigs like Powell and Cauley-Stein out in the open. It puts them in a position where quickness, something they both lack, is paramount.

One adjustment Carlisle made to improve Dallas’ defense was promoting Cauley-Stein and Maxi Kleber to the starting lineup, removing Powell and Tim Hardaway Jr. The Mavericks have won both of the games where the two bigs started alongside Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Richardson, although Cauley-Stein remains a poor individual defender.

The Mavericks still have plenty of time to figure things out and an elite shot-blocker on the mend. Porzingis should help return the offense approach the world-beating prowess it had last year and bolster an improved defensive unit.

It would be unlikely for Dallas’ defense to become its new identity. But they have showed that they can be good at both offense (last year) and defense (this year). Being good at both at the same time would put the Dallas Mavericks in true championship contention.