Dallas Mavericks: Rick Carlisle is not the right coach for Doncic, Porzingis
By Zamir Bueno
Exploring why Rick Carlisle might not be the right coach for the Dallas Mavericks as they prepare for a new era under Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic
There has been a lot of excitement over the potential of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis being the next great pick-and-roll duo in the NBA for the Dallas Mavericks. Ben Ladner who writes for our parent site, FanSided, is one of the people to express excitement over the pair:
"Their two-man game should put nearly immeasurable strain on defenses, who will have to concede some advantage on every pick-and-roll. Dončić is already a masterful facilitator who effortlessly finds shooters, roll men and driving lanes, while Porzingis is one of the best shooting big men in the league. With more capable playmakers around him, Porzingis will find his shots come more easily than they did in New York, as Dončić, in turn, works with more space around him than ever before."
However, one can argue that Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle will interfere with their two-man game. Carlisle is a coach who places a premium on the development of his players. A prime example of this was how he used Dennis Smith Jr. during his rookie season in the league. Rick decided to play point guard Dennis Smith Jr. off the ball for a significant amount of time last season.
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At the Christmas point of his rookie season, the Mavericks were worried that he was trying to do everything by himself. According to ESPN, Smith would ” try to dunk everything” when surrounded by defenders in the paint instead of passing the ball.
According to Sports Day, Carlisle wanted to get Smith out of the habit of being ball dominant and make him:
"“the most polished, well-rounded player he can be in years to come.” Dennis Smith Jr didn’t understand the decision stating “I’ve been playing point guard for my whole life.”"
The transition for Smith included starting two games at the position averaging 10 points, 2.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds and shooting 10 percent (1 for 10) from behind the arc. The two-game stretch saw a substantial decrease in points and assists with an increase in rebounds from his regular season averages. Dennis Smith Jr averaged 15.2 points, 5.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and shooting 31.3 percent (1.5 for 4.9) from behind the arc.
Therefore, one would expect that Kristaps Porzingis will undergo a similar development process next season. Porzingis has been labeled as soft by some NBA players because he is doesn’t have the muscle mass to wreak havoc down in the post like other big men.
One example of this was during a contest between the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks on January 8th of last year. Frank Ntilikina passed the basketball to Kristaps who had established post position near the elbow.
Once this happened, Porzingis tried to use his left shoulder to back Wes Matthews down further into the post. Unfortunately, Kristaps was unsuccessful as he could not move Matthews from his spot which forced him to take a heavily contested turn around jumper. As he went to shoot the ball, Matthews blocked the shot.
This sequence contributed to Matthews calling him “a soft, skinny, white Euro” during the game. Consequently, Rick Carlisle and the Mavs organization will most likely tell him to add some muscle mass as it will improve his chances of backing defenders down.
If he can add muscle mass to his body frame, Carlisle will give him some post up opportunities to gauge whether it is still a weakness.
Development is not the only obstacle that will prevent the duo from reaching their full potential. Rick Carlisle runs a ball movement offense where Luka Doncic brings the basketball up to the three-point line. Once this happens, he passes the ball to a teammate standing at the top of the key. The teammate will call for a screen to initiate the pick-and-roll as Luka watches for the rest of the possession.
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Therefore, Rick Carlisle is not the right coach for the duo as his coaching style can’t maximize their pick and roll/pop capabilities. The Dallas Mavericks would be better off with a coach who is comfortable running pick and roll, ie Alvin Gentry.