Singer and songwriter David Ramirez, in his song Find The Light, that even in the darkness, you can find the light. The same thing holds true for this season with the Dallas Mavericks.
In their 3 losses (at the time of writing this article), they lost by double digits and in horrible fashion. Against the Toronto Raptors Head Coach Jason Kidd even went so far as to say that the team was soft, giving up north of 70 points in the paint. There was an overall lack of hustle and physicality in this game, as well as their game against the New Orleans Pelicans. It would be easy for Mavericks fans to dwell on these poor performances, but even in the losses, there was a bit of light in the darkness.
One aspect of this has been the play of Derrick Jones Jr. He has given the Mavericks far more then possibly expected when he was signed to his one-year contract this past offseason. He is averaging on the season almost ten points per game, as well as pitching in 3.5 rebounds, and almost one steal and block a game. Jones Jr is also shooting 36.7 from behind the arc. He is shooting a very high percentage on catch-and-shoot three pointers, which is largely due to him playing with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Another bright spot this season that has Mavericks fans excited is the play of Dante Exum. While his numbers of four points, two rebounds and an assist per game may not dazzle anyone, it is the pure energy that he plays with that has given the Mavericks a shot in the arm. A lot of people forget that Exum is a former first round pick, taken fifth overall in the 2014 NBA draft. He has shown an ability to get to the rim with ease. His basketball ability undoubtedly came from his father, Cecil Exum, who was on the 1982 National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels team. Exum was out of the NBA for over two years before signing with Dallas, and is working hard to prove his worth to the team this season. It is the intangible energy that is his biggest contribution at this point.
One final bright spot for this team has absolutely been the play of Dereck Lively II. Lively, whom has been nicknamed a potential baby version of Tyson Chandler. He has provided a consistent presence in the paint. Sure, there is room for improvement, but he has far outplayed expectations up to this point in the season. He is averaging nine points and seven rebounds a game. His energy level and athleticism has also helped him average over one block per game as well. He has shown a little bit of everything in his repertoire this season, whether it is his post-moves and soft touch in the paint, or his willingness to step out of the paint and shoot the occasional three pointer. While he has not made a three so far as a Dallas Maverick, he did knock down a few while donning a similar blue with the Duke Blue Devils.
Even in the dark times of the blowout losses, there is always a little bit of light to be found. Mavericks fans should be excited about this team based on the small sample size of this team so far this season. Fans will continue to monitor the team’s success and failures, but hopefully this will provide a little bright spots even when the team underperforms.