Dallas Mavericks: 3 ways to fix their 3-point shooting

The momentum and excitement that the Dallas Mavericks spent all of last season building up has crumbled. They just escaped a six-game losing streak that had them sliding down the Western Conference standings to 13th place.

There’s no reason to panic, as there is still a whole lot of games left and some causes of their struggles – injuries and COVID-19-related absences – were out of their control and are no longer hampering them for the time being. The full roster is good to go for the time being. And Luka Doncic isn’t even off his rookie contract, so there’s no pressure on being title contenders immediately.

Still, this Mavericks team has plenty of issues to patch up. One of them sticks out like a sore thumb despite being a strength of last year’s team that posted the most efficient offense in history.

The  Dallas Mavericks need serious help with their 3-point shooting. Luckily, there are several ways to address the issue.

Awful shooting from beyond the arc has severely hampered Dallas’ 2020-21 season. While the league average is 36.8 percent from deep, no one else on the Mavericks has even cracked 34 percent, aside from the following players, who are listed in order from highest to lowest 3-point percentage.

1. Maxi Kleber – 46.2 percent on 3.5 3-point attempts per game
2. Tim Hardaway Jr. – 39.6 percent on 7.8 attempts per game
3. Trey Burke – 39.5 percent on 3.9 attempts per game
4. Jalen Brunson – 39.1 percent on 2.6 attempts per game

The Mavericks, at 32.7 percent from deep, own the league’s worst 3-point percentage. Hardaway Jr. averages the most 3-point attempts per game on the squad. The next four all take over five triples per game, beating out the only other above-average shooters the Mavericks have. Their most efficient marksmen, Kleber, has only played half of the season so far.

Last year’s squad bombed away on 3-pointers 41.3 times per game, second only to the Houston Rockets. Dallas made 36.7 percent of their threes last season, which tied for the 10th best percentage in the league. This season, the Mavericks are taking considerably fewer triples – only 35.8 attempts per game, which ranks 14th.

Even if Kristaps Porzingis’ shooting eventually returns to normal, it might not be enough to pull the Mavericks out of the basement. There are several ways to alleviate Dallas’ 3-point shooting woes.