Much attention has been focused on the Mavericks’ overall shooting woes.
When your 3-point percentage as a team has slipped to .332, that’s to be expected.
Dorian Finney-Smith and Luka Dončić have been the two exceptions to the ugly rule.
Over the last eight games, Finney-Smith has hit 45 percent of his 3-pointers, raising his season percentage to a more respectable 34 percent after he shot just 26 percent in the first 11 games of the season.
Dončić has only played five of the last eight games, but his 43.1 percent shooting during that stretch has pushed him just over 34 percent, too.
Now, if only they could impart some wisdom to everybody else. The rest of the roster is mostly struggling to make long-distance shots.
“It’s just a mindset thing,” Finney-Smith said Tuesday. “We all are getting open shots. Sometimes, when you keep missing a lot of them, you kind of get into your own way. And I think that’s been going on. We’ve been looking too much in.
“When you put your focus on something else, it helped me. That’s what I’ve been trying to preach. Put your focus on playing hard or helping somebody else. And when you shoot it, it’ll come natural because you’re not thinking about it.”
Ahh, yes. Think less, shoot more. The Mavericks have had no trouble with the latter half of that equation. But they have shot under 33 percent from deep in four of the last five games. And they have averaged more than 37 attempts per game in that stretch.
And that, in turn, has made cranking up the defensive effort difficult. Coach Jason Kidd has said numerous times that allowing offensive success, or lack thereof, impact the defense is a sure recipe for failure.
“It’s tough,” Finney-Smith said. “We’re 19 games in, so we know what guys can do. I know they’re going to make shots.
“Tim (Hardaway) is going to make shots. Reggie (Bullock) is going to catch fire. It’s only a matter of time until they catch fire and we’ll be talking about how to cool them down. It’s tough, but you got to realize it’s still basketball and you got to have fun with it. You can have fun when you’re missing (shots) too. You just got to find ways to do it.”
Kidd said Tuesday that morale is fine with the Mavericks, despite losing five of their last six. They are looking at each new day as a chance to get better.
They spent Tuesday watching film, of which there was plenty to digest about Monday’s blowout loss at home.
“Guys have been watching film and we’ll be ready to play tomorrow,” Kidd said. “Being consistent is one of the hardest things in this league and right now, that’s what we’re fighting for.”
Briefly: Kidd said there was no medical update on Kristaps Porzingis (ankle), Willie Cauley-Stein (non-COVID illness) or Frank Ntilikina (calf). “We’ll have that report for you tomorrow,” he said . . . As for what the film showed him and the team, Kidd said: “I saw it live. It wasn’t any different. Attacking the paint, and also transition defense (were problems on defense). And then looking at the offense, we’re getting great looks. We can’t hesitate. We have to shoot the ball with confidence. You’re not going to make every shot, but we got to continue to trust and make plays for one another. And when we do that, we’re pretty good.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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