National Basketball Association

The Dallas Mavericks have a lot to worry about

Published Mar. 24, 2015 6:45 p.m. ET

foxsports

By Robert Brunswick III

The only positive I can point out for the Mavericks at this point is that Dirk has found his groove again. During their three game win streak he averaged 20.3 points per game on 52.4% shooting. Nowitzki has had his fair share of problems this year, between his age and ailing elbow, but he is not done just yet. However, it seems the countless other struggles that the Dallas Mavericks have faced are not over. They lost back to back games against the Grizzlies and Suns, respectively, and the pattern of difficulty is becoming more and more apparent.

Rondo Is A Bust for the Dallas Mavericks

Rondo is well-known for lots of things, his flashy passing, his equally flashy layups, and his aggression. What he is not acknowledged for, to this day, is his shooting. Rondo has no issue playing on-ball, not one bit. It is his off-ball performance that is smacking the Mavericks in the face. Carlisle’s offense is a good fit for the point guard. In Dallas, Rondo is expected to move off the ball and let other players such as Ellis and Parsons handle the ball, leaving Rondo as an extra shooter if he can get open. Ellis is also looking to be another issue, but we will get to that. Rondo shooting is not something the Mavericks should strive for. He is shooting below 40% in both field goal percentage and free throw percentage, numbers that even Shaq did not accrue over his career. Even if Rondo is wide open and a defender is 20 feet away from him, chances are he is missing his jumper. It has been an issue his whole career and he has yet to fix it, even if Dirk’s renowned shooting coach is working with him. Rondo’s lack of a jump shot applies so much more pressure on his other teammates, who pretty much attract more defense to themselves since they would be fools to pass the ball back out for a Rondo jump shot. This would likely lead to a contested shot or a turnover somewhere down the line. Were Rondo a more effective shooting threat, though, the issues of scoring could be resolved much more easily, but only time can tell with Rondo.

Monta Ellis continues to fall

Monta Ellis is usually Rick Carlisle’s go to when a game is on the line. It is quite understandable when Ellis is leading the league in clutch points at 118, courtesy of NBA.com. Carlisle has even disregarded Ellis and blamed the team as a whole for their poor play of late, but refuses to acknowledge the obvious. Monta Ellis is not okay right now. He showed signs of hope with a 30+ point game against the Lakers a while back, but it appears that game was his pinnacle for the year. He has shot 7-0f-31 over the last two contests. That is 22% people, a percentage that is hardly comparable to Rondo’s shooting percentage. To have a backcourt struggle this badly is not pleasing to the eye, and is certainly not effective for the overall performance of the team. Monta Ellis is typically a threat on the offensive end, but if he continues to perform this way, the Mavericks have some serious issues ahead of them.

There needs to be some change for the Mavericks if they hope to make it out of the first round. Over the last two games, the Dallas Mavericks have committed 29 turnovers, more than double their average of 12.8 per game. Altogether, the Mavericks are just one big mess. If Monta Ellis can find his shooting stroke sooner than later, Rondo can find more touches and work on-ball how he is supposed to, and Dirk can continue his hot shooting, I would say the Mavericks have found the solutions to at least most of their problems.

More from isportsweb.com: