Stock Watch: Who’s Up? Who’s Down?

Welcome to the inaugural edition of who’s rising, who’s falling? Every Monday morning, we will take a look at which players on the Mavs have had a hot or cold past week and who’s stock you should buy going into the week. Check here every Monday for the latest.

The Past Week:

The Mavericks, fresh off the All-Star break, had a 2-1 record in their 3 games this past week. On Tuesday they re-opened play again by facing off against the World Champion Miami Heat at home and losing in a 117-106 defeat. The Mavs then began their 3 game road trip Friday night in Philadelphia as they took down the short-handed Sixers in a 124-112 high scoring affair. The Mavs then ventured into Detroit the next night to face a high flying Pistons team but were still able to handle them in a 113-102 victory.

 

Who’s up?

Dirk Nowitzki

Nowitzki has picked up right where he left off. After coming back from not scoring a point in the All-Star game, Nowitzki has had games of 22, 25, and 24 points. The Star averaged 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists this past week while shooting 57% from the field, 40% from 3 and 100% (13-13) from the free throw line. Nowitzki has been doing all this while averaging only a shade over 31 minutes a game. These games have also come against quality competition as he has been matched up versus the likes of Chris Bosh, Thaddeus Young, and Greg Monroe. There’s no reason to believe the big German won’t be able to continue his play in the upcoming week. He will be met with some good competition (Anthony Davis and Tim Duncan among others), but if he continues to be red hot from the field, he should be fine. A slight negative for Dirk has been his defense, giving up a 30 point game to Monroe and 22 to Bosh in those respective games. However, his offense has been outweighing his defense and if he can continue leading the Mavs to wins, his defense shouldn’t be an issue.

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Who’s Down?

Jae Crowder

Crowder started off his week by allowing LeBron James to score 17 of his season high 42 points in the 9 minutes the two shared the floor together. Playing only 14 minutes and scoring just 5 points in his time.  Crowder then had a 12 minute performance in which he only picked up 4 points and 2 assists while sharing the backup 3 minutes with Wayne Ellington. Crowder the next night picked up his first DNP-CD (Did not play- Coaches Decision) of the year and was benched in favor of Ellington who had 7 points and 3 assists to go with 2 rebounds in his time on the floor. Coach Rick Carlisle declined to comment on why Crowder didn’t get into the game and said “we’ll just see how it goes” when asked on Saturday about Ellington and Crowder’s role moving forward. This certainly paints a vague picture for Crowder heading into the week, however, one has to think he will somehow find his way onto the court in the coming weeks with Ellington being notorious for inconsistent play in the past (such as in Cleveland and Memphis).  It should be interesting to see how the backup small forward minute’s situation plays out in the coming week as it could ultimately impact the Mavs’ rotation for the rest of the season.

This Week Ahead:

The Mavs play tonight in the historic Madison Square Garden as they conclude their 3 game road trip. They then will have a quick two game pit stop at home versus the Pelicans (on ESPN) and the Bulls. They will conclude the week on the road versus the powerhouse San Antonio Spurs. Be sure to check back next week. Go Mavs!