In precisely three weeks, the Dallas Mavericks will begin their 2024–25 campaign, and they are expected to be strong contenders in the Western Conference once more.
After adding Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes, Naji Marshall, and Spencer Dinwiddie to their roster during the outstanding summer, Dallas’ shooting and defense should improve significantly. The Mavs’ defense was already excellent in the closing minutes of the campaign, and the acquisition of Grimes and Marshall in particular will make them an even more formidable defense.
With Grimes, Marshall, and Daniel Gafford (if Doncic, Irving, Thompson, Washington, and Lively II start), their defense will be formidable off the bench, but their starting lineup defense will put them to the test.
Marshall should start ahead of Klay Thompson, according to some, and the Mavs’ point-of-attack defense will be put to the test immediately away with that starting lineup.
While Luka Doncic will need to hold his own on that end, Jason Kidd is aware that the Mavs’ defense is most effective when everyone is locked in and giving it their all.
In response to the question of who in the starting lineup will slow down and protect some of the faster guys, Kidd said, “Luka.”
While this generated a giggle in the press conference room at Media Day, Kidd iterated that there is a level of sincerity to what he stated. The Mavs are going to need Doncic to be able to defend well in space next season to go where they want to go, and he is more than capable of addressing this test head-on. For the majority of last season, he made significant progress as a defender, and if he keeps up this improvement, it will help him quell the rumors from the NBA Finals that he is a terrible defender.
While Doncic wasn’t at his best defensively in that series, he was handicapped with ailments and his defensive troubles were grossly overstated by the national media. Doncic’s defense improved last season, as anyone who followed the Mavericks throughout the season will attest, and Kidd’s decision to start assigning him to more difficult defensive assignments will be a tremendous test for him.
Doncic is already spending so much energy on the offensive end, and he is going to have to transfer part of that energy to the defensive end. Doncic and the other players in that starting lineup—Irving, Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Dereck Lively II—will all need to take a seat and play defense.
Kidd doesn’t seem to think Doncic will back down from the challenge of guarding players who move more quickly than him and believes that Doncic is up to the task. Reversing the perception of his defense might help Doncic become more respected in MVP discussions, and his continued health will be essential to his ability to compete in that regard.
While nobody anticipates Doncic to be Dallas’ defensive stalwart, it is crucial that he contributes positively and proves to everyone that he can guard down when Kidd needs him to.
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