5 important offseason goals for the Dallas Mavericks

5 important offseason goals for the Dallas Mavericks: 2. Find a defensive guru for Luka Doncic

For all Doncic provides on the offensive end – and he’s one of the best in the NBA on that side of the court – his defense remains an area of development. For him and the Mavs to take the next step, improvement on that end will be necessary.

The advanced stats suggest last year was Doncic’s best for defense in four seasons. His 3.8 defensive win shares and 1.8 defensive box plus/minus were both the best of his career. He actually ranked in the top 20 in the league in both of those statistics, along with defensive rating.

Doncic also averaged career highs in steals and blocks per game. He’s definitely not as big of a liability as he used to be on defense.

Still, there are times when Doncic got cooked during the postseason. That’s bound to happen with the increased playing time and exhaustion that comes in the playoffs, but it still creates an opportunity for opposing teams to capitalize.

His issues were particularly glaring in the series against the Phoenix Suns. In the second half of Game 2, the Suns made it a credo to attack Doncic on nearly every play, particularly targeting him on ball screens, spurring a 22-point advantage in the half and a 20-point win, 129-109.

For what it’s worth, Doncic is aware that his defense needs to improve.

“I think defense has got to be way better for me,” Doncic said after Dallas’ elimination (H/T ESPN). “Honestly, I think I made a huge step this year defensively, but there’s so much room for improvement.”

There have been concerns about Doncic’s fitness level and how that affects him on the defensive end, but that seemed like less of a problem as the regular season went along.

If Doncic is stronger and more fit on the defensive end, the ceiling for Dallas increases exponentially. That should be an offseason priority for both the star and his team.