3 things to watch for as the Dallas Mavericks take on the Oklahoma City Thunder

3 things to look for as the Mavericks take on the Thunder in Oklahoma City.

After a string of disappointing, close-call losses (inclusive of a heartbreaking 3-point loss to the Warriors in Klay’s first return to Golden State, as well as a shockingly pathetic loss to the lowly Jazz this past Thursday), the Dallas Mavericks attempt to guide themselves back onto the path towards success after falling to a very mediocre 6-7 after the first 13 games of the regular season, a record just good enough for the bottom half of the Western Conference.

The Mavericks dispatched the San Antonio Spurs 110-93 Saturday night in Dallas. It was a much-needed win after what you could call not the absolute worst start, but they’ve been hard to watch for almost half of their games so far.

Fortunately, for all of us here, I feel as if much of the early struggles the Mavericks encountered are easily correctable. As Luka Doncic indicated recently from his own standpoint, rebounding has become a pain-point for this team, and one that must be absolutely reversed as soon as possible. It’s obviously worth noting that a healthy PJ Washington should go a long way in curing this recent ailment. With that in mind, here are three things to keep in mind as the Mavs take on a very strong Oklahoma City Thunder team who currently happens to be sitting at the tippy top of the Western Conference standings right now at 11-2.

Here are three things to think about before the game:

Can the Mavericks’ defense turn things around?

The Mavs’ defense currently ranks in the bottom half of the league, a big departure from the ferocious reputation they carved for themselves in the latter part of the season last year. They had to face some very talented offensive teams in the playoffs, the Thunder being one of the most menacing. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander getting another season of playoff experience under his belt, he’s only going to improve on his already perennial MVP-hopeful status. He’s not the only threat on that side of the ball, either.

The Mavericks do have the talent to take on the very best offensive teams, or at least it would seem they do. The main element they’re missing from last season, from a defensive standpoint, is Derrick Jones Jr. Naji Marshall is proving himself to be a very capable replacement. Any team that Jason Kidd coaches is going to get an earful when they aren’t giving their all on the defensive end of the ball. That would seem to be the problem thus far for the Mavericks on defense. Things have to gel from a team standpoint, no doubt, but everybody has to give a very high level of effort, especially if they have any plans to return to the plateau they reached last season.

Will the Mavericks compete in the rebounding game?

As mentioned earlier, rebounds have somehow become a weakness for this team. Both Washington and Lively have missed crucial gametime minutes with nagging injuries, but that’s going to happen. When you’re going up against the best team in the conference, not only are defensive rebounds absolutely crucial, but you need to give yourself some second chances on the offensive side, too, if you expect to outscore a very lethal OKC offense. With Washington back, albeit on restricted minutes, along with the fact that Doncic recently publicly declared rebounding to be this team’s main problem at this point, will they rise to the challenge and focus on improving on one of the most basic elements of the game?

Can the bench become a strong suit?

Only a week ago, Kidd said, “our bench stinks”, and it has for much of the short season. It’s a bit a mystery as to why they’ve underperformed. There’s a pretty versatile and athletic group of guys coming off the bench to replace Dallas’s starting 5. Jaden Hardy, Quentin Grimes, Marshall, and whoever isn’t the starting center offer a great deal of upside from an offensive standpoint, at least they have at times.

Perhaps that’s the point. Consistency has been an issue for Hardy his entire career so far. He’s shown flashes that make me think he could develop into a strong starter, eventually; though often he plays an outstanding game and then seems to play carelessly the next 2-3. I’ve been betting on him for a while now, and I still am, but this is an example of a very key issue for this team. The have a majority superstar starting lineup. Those guys, typically, are going to be pretty consistently great all season long. Doncic has shown that sometimes you have to knock off some rust, but he’s ultimately going to have another excellent season. The poor bench play is a major reason this team has a losing record so far, and perhaps the most important element that must improve if they’re going to enjoy a successful season.

How to watch

The game tips off at 6:00 p.m. CST on Mavs TV, League Pass, or Channel 29 if you’re local.