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More about JJB at the FIBA Americas Championship....

DALLAS — Although his national team has gotten off to just a 2-4 mark overall thus far in the FIBA Americas tournament, Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea has shouldered a heavy burden while putting the Puerto Rican squad on his back.

Capturing a 98-92 win Monday in Mexico City over the Dominican Republic, the Puerto Rican team secured its first win of the second phase of the tournament. Barea willingly led the way, tallying 37 points, seven rebounds and nine assists while pushing his teammates to a tightly-contested win.

Barea re-signed with the Mavericks this summer on a reported four-year deal worth $16 million after averaging 7.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in his 77 appearances last season. He’s expected to once again emerge as one of the Mavs’ key contributors in the backcourt this upcoming season. However, it’s clear that the undersized lead guard’s sole focus currently is on leading his home country to a possible spot in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

And as Mavs coach Rick Carlisle points out, Barea’s heavy workload in international play bodes well for his conditioning prior to the start of training camp on Sept. 29.

“There are instances when playing on a national team can be akin to a really good base preparation for training camp,” Carlisle explained following the conclusion of the Mavs’ 2014-15 season.

He added: “[Barea] has been able to absorb the longer minutes. He plays a lot in the summer for his national team, and he plays the whole game for those guys. Generally, he’s got a motor and he’s got good endurance, so that’s been a godsend for us.”

Barea has dazzled throughout the tournament, ranking second amongst all players while averaging 21.3 points in six games. He also leads the tournament in assists after dishing out 7.8 an outing, which is far more than the 5.7 a contest that Argentina’s Facundo Campazzo has accounted for in six games.

Coached by Louisville’s Rick Pitino, Barea is playing in his 23rd FIBA or FIBA Zone event at the youth and senior levels. He’s also one of only two players that remain on the Puerto Rican team following the 2014 FIBA World Cup. However, despite Barea’s best efforts, the team will have an uphill climb in order to reach the tournament’s semifinals, or just to land a place in next year’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, while currently sitting at 1-4 in the second-round standings.

Puerto Rico still has plenty to play for when the team returns to the court Tuesday night against Panama, which is also at 1-4. Barea and his teammates will then battle against 0-5 Uruguay on Wednesday, needing to finish strong in order to keep their chances of reaching the semifinals alive.

Mexico and Argentina, who both sit at 5-0 in the secondary stage, have already secured their spots in the semifinals. They’re followed in the standings by a 4-1 Canadian team, which features Mavericks big man Dwight Powell.

The Dominican Republic team, which Barea and the Puerto Rican squad just edged out, is then in a virtual tie at 2-3 with Venezuela for the final spot in the semifinals. And with the Puerto Rican squad currently sitting on the outside and looking in, Barea and his teammates will at least have to move up one spot from the sixth position to fifth in order to pass on to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

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