Mavs Stock Report

 

For the Mavs Stock Report (MSR) in 2019, we’re going to change up the structure of things. Rather than examining each week, where Dallas may play at the most 4 games, we’re instead going to look at a larger sample size and break down 10 game stretches. This will allow us to analyze more significant trends and project a player’s true value at that time. So with that said, let’s dive into the first Mavs Stock Report of 2019.

Luka Doncic

About the only thing that has gone right for Dallas during a rough stretch that saw the team lose 7 of 10 games, and 11 of 14 overall, has been the sensational rookie, Luka Doncic. Raising his scoring output by more than two full points over the last 10 games, the Wonderboy has managed to keep Dallas in many games despite a rough stretch for the bench unit as a whole -more on that later.

On a slight downturn, however has been his assists numbers, despite a VERY strong start to the last 10 games with games of 7, 6, 7, and 10 assists respectively. This is still largely in line with his typical averages, so it only bares mentioning due to how strong he started off at the start of this list. His rebounding numbers have also seen a slight uptick, keeping his overall production well-balanced for a Mavs team that needs all the help it can get to win these days.

Last 10

21.7 PPG

4.8 AST

6.9 TRB

Season Averages

19.6 PPG

4.9 AST

6.7 TRB

Stock: Trending Upward

Jalen Brunson

This is a somewhat difficult analysis for Jalen Brunson as on one hand, he narrowly missed out on his first career triple double in a 106-100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers that saw him score 13 points, grab 11 boards, and rack up 8 assists. On the other hand, he also got the dreaded DNP – Coach’s Decision in 4 of the 10 games, including three straight from New Orleans to the Thunder game, and just two minutes in another game against the Boston Celtics. In short, he played well in half the games and not at all in the other half.

In the games he did play, Brunson scored 38 total points, good for 7.6 a game. Off the bench and in a crowded backcourt, that’s not bad production at all. And when paired with his 3.6 assists a night, it’s clear to see that when he did play, and play at least 10 minutes, he made a markedly positive impact.

Despite not playing in effectively half of the last 10 games, Brunson’s numbers were up across the board from his season averages.

Last 10

7.6 PPG

3.6 AST

3.8 TRB

Season Averages

6.1 PPG

2.1 AST

1.7 TRB

Stock: Trending Upward

The bench

It’s been a rough stretch for the Dallas bench as what was once the strength of this team has become a bit of a liability in recent weeks. In addition to JJ Barea, the one double-digit scorer on the bench, the Mavs employ a well-balanced mixture of scoring and energy from guys like Dwight Powell, who has been largely struggling as of late and may soon be featured in the next edition of MSR, Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, and the aforementioned Jalen Brunson.

During this rough patch, the bench has struggled to find consistency in scoring the ball, and have also suffered defensively as well despite Kleber being Dallas’ best rim protector at this point. Equally frustrating has been head coach Rick Carlisle’s decision to ride with his bench for lengthy periods in the second half, letting Doncic and Barnes sit while momentum slips away, as was the case in Monday night’s debacle against the Lebron-less Lakers at the AAC.

Last 10

37.4 PPG

Season Averages

54.7 PPG

Stock: Trending Downward