WASHINGTON – So many people look at the Mavericks and see a shortage of playing time to go around for all their players who deserve minutes.
Allow Seth Curry to respond.
The 10-year veteran has been around long enough to know that the Mavericks’ depth is their best asset. It’s how they are built – strong offensively with a lot of players who can contribute. General manager Nico Harrison, owner Mark Cuban and coach Jason Kidd have made sure that this is a deep team with a slew of players who can play.
And play well.
And they all will, at some point. Like Curry, who had wonderful advice for anybody who is concerned about minutes.
“I’m kind of sure of myself and who I am now,” Curry said. “Back when I was younger, maybe I wasn’t. I still was maybe trying to prove myself and prove that I belong. But I think I know who I am now and people around the league know. I’m just trying to prove I’m still that guy.”
“That guy” was pretty awesome Wednesday against the Washington Wizards. Curry made all six of his shots, including a four-point play that put the Mavericks ahead 114-90 and iced a game that already was chilling quite nicely.
Chilling. That’s a good way to put how the Mavericks and their fans should look at this season so far.
At 9-3, the Mavericks have been rolling on offense, playing enough defense to give them some really impressive nights when the starters didn’t have to be on the court late in games and have banked wins that they were supposed to deposit in the win column.
Curry is Exhibit A for what the Mavericks have going for them. He’s one of the best three-point shooters in NBA history. And yet, he did not play a lot in the first 10 games this season (and not at all in three games).
Then he saw 13 minutes in the blowout loss at New Orleans and while he didn’t make shots, he did a lot of other good things on the floor.
Then came Wednesday when he was so good that it stashed the game away for the Mavericks.
“It’s not a problem. That’s the way the team is built,” Kidd said of the depth. “A lot of you guys (in the media) will say it’s a problem or try to make it a problem. But it’s a team. It’s always been a team. And everyone can’t play 15 or 20 minutes a night. The league isn’t built that way.
“Everyone’s going to get an opportunity to play with (things) that take place in an 82-game season. But our depth is our strength.”
And that’s a hard lesson for young people – and young NBA players – to learn. Patience comes with time, so to speak.
Curry has learned it. He’s been working behind the scenes, which is what everybody does (or should do) to make sure that when players get injured (like Kyrie Irving was Wednesday) or rotations change, they are ready to contribute.
“Coach Kidd’s been preaching that for the longest,” said Tim Hardaway Jr. “You never know who’s going to play, who’s going to get an opportunity.
“S-Dot (Curry) hasn’t played really that much all season, comes in in the fourth, knocks down some shots and kept the lead up for us. That’s a credit to him being a true vet.”
So what has Curry done to stay ready?
“Just trying to help the team any way I can, stay ready and wait for my number to be called to get consistent minutes on the floor,” Curry said of what he has done when the minutes have been slow to come. “Work hard and try to spread my knowledge and bring whatever leadership qualities I can to this team.
“I’m sharp, I feel healthy. I’m just waiting to get my feet wet out there and catch a rhythm. I’m still contributing off the court off the court however I can and keeping my legs right. You know it’s going to be a long season and everybody’s going to get an opportunity to impact the team.”
That’s especially important for players like Dwight Powell, Jaden Hardy, Richaun Holmes, Markieff Morris and rookie O-Max Prosper to keep in mind.
The time is coming. Just be ready for it.
And here’s a few other takeaways from the Mavericks’ 130-117 win over the Wizards.
DOING THE LITTLE THINGS: The offense has been next-generation elite through 12 games. And it’s because the roles are defined and the players are executing those roles. Grant Williams is a good example. “It’s part of our makeup, no stress on offense, being unselfish,” Kidd said. “Grant did a great job of screening, giving himself up and got Timmy wide-open looks. It’s the small things that the group in the locker room talked about after the game. The small things helped us win.” Williams, by the way, finished with 10 points, seven assists and just one turnover.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: The Mavericks have played a lot of road games. And those are always tough. But the teams they have played have, for the most part, been sub-.500. That’s part of why their record is 9-3, including 5-2 on the road. The challenge gets a lot harder starting Saturday with Milwaukee and there will be difficult road challenges during the holiday season. But the Mavericks have done what they’re supposed to do so far.
NEWS FLASH: Tim Hardaway Jr. missed a free throw. Not much else, mind you, considering he piled up a season-best 31 points. But he missed a free throw. Three of them, actually. And that ended his run of perfection. Through the first 11 games, he had made 27 consecutive free throws to start the season. “One-hundred percent for the season down the drain,” Hardaway said with a laugh after the game.
X: @ESefko
Share and comment