The Mavericks have found a useful new wrinkle on offense, and it showed up in the kind of win that can quiet a lot of noise. Dallas rolled past Brooklyn 130-93 on Sunday for its biggest margin of victory this season, a sharp response after back-to-back losses to Sacramento and San Antonio. The bounce-back started with a win over Utah and continued against the Nets, pushing the Mavericks to two games over .500.
What’s been most encouraging in those two victories is that the offense has looked cleaner in a few different ways, and Santi Aldama’s return to the lineup has been part of that shift.
The most obvious impact has come on the glass and in the second-chance game. Against Utah, Dallas didn’t exactly light it up from the field, shooting 41.9 percent overall and 28.1 percent from 3-point range.
But the Mavericks made up for it by pounding the offensive boards, beating the Jazz 21-8 there and turning that into a 21-5 edge in second-chance points. Aldama was right in the middle of it, grabbing nine rebounds with four on the offensive end and even finishing one of those extra possessions himself.
That matters because second-chance production was a weakness for Dallas a year ago. The Mavericks finished 22nd in offensive rebounding and 24th in second-chance points despite having a roster built with plenty of forwards and bigs. This season, they’ve already been better in both areas, and Aldama gives them another body who can help keep possessions alive.
His value goes beyond size, though. At 7 feet, he brings length, but he also brings flexibility.
Dallas isn’t asking him to live in one spot. He can play center or power forward, and his shooting lets him slide to the three even in lineups with Morez Johnson Jr. and Daniel Gafford.
That versatility was on display against Brooklyn, where Aldama scored 12 points in 15 minutes on 5-of-7 shooting and 2-of-4 from deep. He mixed in a dribble drive and a short pull-up over Michael Porter Jr., then knocked down multiple 3s while Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving collapsed the defense and opened space around the arc.
He also had one of the game’s better sequences in the fourth quarter. Aldama drove to the rim, then fired a behind-the-back pass to Marcus Sasser in the corner. Sasser moved it to Max Christie, whose 3-pointer missed, but Aldama stayed active, tracked down the deflection, and finished with a dunk.
Later, he got out in transition and capped his night with a fast-break jam.
That 12-point showing offered a clear snapshot of what he can add. Dallas has run into the same offensive issue at different points this season and last: too many players who can score either from deep or around the basket, but not enough who can threaten both areas and make something happen in between. Flagg and Irving are the obvious exceptions.
Aldama isn’t going to solve every shot-creation problem on his own, but he does give the Mavericks another player who can stretch the floor or attack a closeout. That’s been especially valuable when Irving is out, when Dallas has sometimes struggled to generate clean offense.
The Mavericks didn’t get a star scorer back. What they did get was a multi-positional piece who can help in more than one way, and he’s already started to address two of the team’s lingering issues: offensive rebounding and shot creation.
In Other News...
Cooper Flaggs Breakout Has Mavericks Fans Eyeing A Bigger Test
The Mavericks took control early against the Nets and never really let the game drift, with Cooper Flagg doing the heavy lifting in a performance that gave Dallas plenty to feel good about. Flagg kept the offense organized and aggressive, and the win came with a smoother look than the team has often had when trying to settle into its rotation.
Brooklyn never found much rhythm, especially after Noah Clowney ran into foul trouble and was out of the game in under eight minutes. Dallas also eased Max Christie back in after his injury return, a reminder that the Mavericks are still sorting out their pieces even as the results start to tilt their way. The bigger question now is how Flagg's growing role translates when the opposition is a little less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Backcourt Problem Just Got Harder To Ignore
The Mavericks backcourt depth is getting tested in a way that makes every absence behind Kyrie Irving feel a little heavier. With backup point guard Sergio De Larrea out because of a right knee sprain, Dallas has had to lean more on its current reserve guards, and Walter Clayton Jr. has helped steady the rotation while the team tries to keep the position from becoming a nightly problem.
De Larrea has already missed six straight games, and the delay in his return only adds to the uncertainty around a group that was already thin. For a team trying to manage its guard minutes carefully, the longer this lingers the more the Mavericks have to rely on patchwork solutions, at least until there is clearer news on when he can get back into the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Guard Shakeup Is Creating An Early Rotation Battle
The Mavericks are still sorting out their backcourt mix after Max Christies recent shooting slump and the hip issue that has cut into his availability. In the meantime, Caleb Martin has slid into the starting shooting guard spot and given Dallas a steadier look on the wing, bringing defense and efficient shooting from deep while the coaching staff keeps testing different combinations early in the season.
Walter Clayton Jr. has also entered the conversation as a useful ball-moving option, giving the Mavericks another guard to consider as they evaluate roles and lineups. With Dusty May continuing to experiment, this has become more than a temporary patch job, it is an early rotation battle that could shape how the backcourt settles once the team gets deeper into the schedule. [Read more 🡒]