Would You Rather… Mavs-Suns Edition

Time for another game day poll!

On Friday, November 8th, your Dallas Mavericks (5-3) will be hosting the streaking Phoenix Suns for their second meeting of the still very early season. If you recall, Dallas fell to Phoenix 102-114 in their previous matchup this season despite a 40 and 10 game from Luka Doncic.

The Suns have been on a roll recently, boasting a 7-1 record and currently tied for the 1 seed in the West…so how can the Mavs improve their chances of victory?

Looking at some recent lineup data may provide answers for how Dallas can increase their odds. As aforementioned, it is still EARLY in the season, so we’re working with a small sample size, but when examining the net ratings it is clear that some adjustments might be made to the Mavs 5 man lineups that could inevitably give them a boost…

As you can see Dallas’ most played lineup, (which is also their starting 5), has a negative net rating. Is this part of the reason the Mavs have struggled in first quarters with slow starts? Should they tinker with rotations asap to see if it helps bolster their play?

I think yes, they should explore all possibilities, the sooner the better…and while it may be tricky for Kidd to manage all these players and their personalities, it’s necessary to find their best go to lineups for all the different matchups and situations that a long NBA season will surely provide. Mavs fans seem to agree as they have already taken to Twitter with their own conclusions based on this information…

This brings us to my next question – (and the part where we want your feedback) – what lineups would you like to see them experiment with during their next stretch of games?

Would you rather…

See the Mavs start Naji and Gafford – with PJ and Lively, when healthy, (both were listed as out for tomorrow’s game) – coming off the bench

OR

Stick with the same starting 5 – Luka/Kyrie/Klay/PJ/Gafford (Kidd and co got this, they know what they’re doing)

If you’re looking for any other data to inform your takeaways here’s some play-by-play info on PJ so far this season…

Vote in our corresponding Twitter poll from me, (@kt_wza), and respond which lineups you think would be best for the Mavs to experiment with and why in the comments below…we want to hear from you, and as always…GO MAVS!