The Biggest Lineup Decision for Every West Playoff Team
NBA coaches have two months to lock in their postseason rotations.
We examine their biggest dilemmas and which players might be left out in the cold.
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/2...akers-clippers
Dallas Mavericks
Locks: Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis
Other options: Tim Hardaway Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Delon Wright, Seth Curry, Jalen Brunson, Maxi Kleber, and Willie Cauley-Stein
The Mavericks have gone 6-6 since Dwight Powell tore his Achilles in late January. Powell played a bigger role than his modest reputation would suggest. He was an elite roll man and versatile defender who could play with anyone.
He made life easier on the team’s other big men, too. Powell had a net rating of plus-11.9 in 498 minutes with Porzingis and plus-12.1 in 320 minutes with Kleber. That number drops to plus-3.8 in 436 minutes with Porzingis and Kleber together. The Mavs offense is built around Doncic running pick-and-rolls, and neither big is as effective in the two-man game as Powell.
Dallas traded for Cauley-Stein to replace Powell but he has yet to earn coach Rick Carlisle’s trust, averaging just 12.3 minutes in nine games. Once the playoffs arrive, Carlisle will have to either play Cauley-Stein more or downsize to smaller lineups.
The Mavs have a net rating of plus-5.4 in 182 minutes with Porzingis as the only big on the floor. That role creates more room for him to roll to the basket, while also giving Doncic more space to attack if he pops out to the 3-point line.
But that still leaves the issue of how they fill out the rest of their lineup. They don’t have a lot of two-way wings on their roster. Wright and Finney-Smith are their best defenders, but Wright rarely shoots 3s and Finney-Smith isn’t a threat with the ball in his hands.
The Mavericks’ one wing who can excel on both ends of the floor is Hardaway, who has the best net rating (plus-9.0 in 1,424 minutes) of any player in their rotation. The player right behind him? Powell.