The Mavericks’ hopes of getting a real jolt from Tarik Biberovic took a hit before the season even got rolling.
Biberovic won’t be available for Dallas’ opener against the Houston Rockets tomorrow because of right heel bursitis, Dusty May said. He also did not practice on Tuesday, and the injury already kept him out of the final preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. After that game, he was seen walking with a limp as he headed to the locker room with teammates.
That’s an awkward development for a team that already had questions about its shooting. Dallas brought in several sharpshooters this offseason, but the preseason numbers never really backed up the optimism. The Mavericks shot only 32.4 percent from deep, good for 26th in the NBA, and while their three-point volume jumped from last season, the efficiency didn’t follow.
Biberovic was supposed to be part of the answer. He shot 48.9 percent from three on 5.2 attempts per game for Fenerbahce in the BSL last season, and that kind of production made him look like a potential boost for Dallas’ offense. Even if his rotation spot wasn’t locked in, his shooting gave May another weapon to lean on, especially off the bench.
There was also reason to think the rookie could keep growing into the role. His jumper should become more efficient as he gets more comfortable, and his upside as a shooter was one of the more intriguing storylines heading into the year.
Now Dallas has to look elsewhere. Biberovic being sidelined means May will need to find perimeter help from the frontcourt, and that’s not an ideal place to hunt for it.
Santi Aldama is another player expected to help with the shooting, but he may also miss tomorrow’s game. He was limited in practice on Tuesday after sitting out every preseason game.
If Aldama can’t go, the Mavericks may need production from Zaccharie Risacher, Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, or Morez Johnson Jr. None of them are known as automatic shooters, which only sharpens the concern around Biberovic’s absence.
The bottom line is simple: Dallas’ shooting makeover was never as complete as it looked on paper, and losing one of the best shooters in the mix - at least on paper - makes that problem even easier to spot right away. If Biberovic’s absence stretches on, the Mavericks’ three-point outlook gets a lot more uneasy, a lot faster.
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The game itself offered a mixed early read on that partnership, especially with reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg now in the mix. Irving was on the floor for only 24 minutes and never returned for the fourth quarter in the loss to Houston, leaving the Mavericks with one obvious question to carry into the next stretch of the season: how quickly can this version of the team get its best players on the same page? [Read more 🡒]