There were enough fireworks in yesterday’s Mavs win over the Blazers that it felt like Independence Day at American Airlines Center. For one Maverick, it really was.
Salah Mejri celebrated his native Tunisia’s Independence Day on Sunday, the 60th anniversary of his country gaining its independence from France. Mejri did it in style, too, by putting together perhaps his finest performance of his first NBA season: 13 points, a career-high 14 rebounds, and a career-high six blocks.
He joked after the game that 90 percent of Americans wouldn’t even know Tunisia is a country, let alone that they’d be able to point it out on a map — it’s in northern Africa along the coast of the Mediterranean, in case you were wondering.
“I’m speaking out of experience because a lot of people ask me, ‘Where you come from?’ I say ‘Tunisia,'” he said. “They say, ‘Indonesia?’ I don’t blame nobody. (Tunisia is) very far. That’s a very tiny country.”
The rookie big man is, figuratively speaking, putting his home country on the map with his play this season. Yesterday he became just the ninth player since 1983-84 to record that stat line in a game while coming off the bench, according to Basketball-Reference, and just the third player to do so since 2003. Oh, and he was a team-best +30 in a game which went to overtime.
His playing time has come irregularly and occasionally in odd situations. For example, in January he played the closing minutes of a game against Oklahoma City despite not playing earlier in the game. He blocked both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant as the Mavs roared back from a double-digit deficit and had a chance to tie. He then briefly started for a period while Zaza Pachulia was out with an injury, but Mejri hasn’t seen regular minutes since Pachulia’s return to action. Still, the rookie to this day cites that block on Durant as a source of confidence, a confirmation that he belongs in this league. He proved again why last night against Portland.
“Every game I play, I get more confidence,” he said. “I don’t need more confidence. I need the coach’s confidence. I know what I can do. I know I can help this team.”
Every move Mejri makes is oozing with confidence, from his often hilarious post-game media sessions to his dynamic play on both ends of the floor. He finished an athletic baseline reverse dunk late in the game off a pass from Deron Williams and he threw down a pretty vicious put-back dunk in the first half. Although he’s tall and lean, he’s not lacking in power.
Defensively, though, is where he stood out against Portland. Dallas allowed just 97.9 points per 100 possessions in Mejri’s 32-plus minutes of playing time, and Blazers shooters were just 1 of 10 from the field when he was the closest defender, according to SportVU. Given most, or all, of those attempts were point-blank at the rim, that speaks volumes of Mejri’s potential defensive impact. If even one of those shots fall, it’s a completely different game and the Mavs might lose in regulation. But he has the instincts and smarts to defend at the rim without fouling, which is a skill Rick Carlisle demands from his big men. For the season, opponents are shooting just 40.5 percent at the rim against Mejri, according to NBA.com. The only Maverick with a better DFG percentage is Justin Anderson at 39.2.
In overtime Mejri made one of the nicest defensive plays we’ve seen all season. Portland pushed the ball up the floor quickly enough so the Mavs defense couldn’t get set. Raymond Felton was buried by a Mason Plumlee screen, leaving Lillard isolated 1-on-1 moving downhill right at Mejri starting at the three-point line. In this situation, Lillard probably beats his man 49 out of 50 times, but Mejri has enough athleticism and anticipation not only to track Lillard, but reject the shot.
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That’s a pretty special play by any center, let alone a 7-foot-2 rookie. Lillard is an All-NBA talent with more moves than a Tekken character and Mejri denied him. He provided the Mavs with an inside presence on both ends, and that clearly played a huge role in the win. Portland scored only 14 points in the paint during Mejri’s 32:39 of action and 20 points while he was on the bench, and the Blazers could only muster eight second-chance points while Mejri was on the floor as opposed to 13 when he was off. He played nearly two-thirds of the game.
“He’s kept himself ready, and he’s a guy that we’ve been talking lately as a possibility,” Carlisle said. “When guys stay ready and seize the moment, that’s a part of the essence of sport that everyone loves. Give him credit; when you step up and you play that well, you’re going to be in the middle of some big situations.”
Moving forward it’s unclear what will happen with the rotation. Pachulia got the start with Chandler Parsons out, but once he returns (which should be soon) it will be interesting to see if the Mavs stick with the small-ball plan or perhaps give Mejri another chance at expanded minutes. Everything is in flux right now and nothing is set in stone, so anything can happen. Mejri just needs to stay ready, but that hasn’t been an issue for him yet this season. No reason to think that, next time around, it will be any different.
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