Dribble Brothers (Luka & Kyrie) -- Game 8 update [3-5]

[HotRocks34]

So last night was the first night that the Dribble Bros (Luka and Kyrie, AKA LuKy) took the court together.

The Mavs lost to the Kings, who put in a spirited effort and avenged their loss the night previous. Both games were in Sacramento.

Here are some thoughts on the game.

1. LUKA IS OUT OF SHAPE -- Luka had missed 4 straight games with injury, and his conditioning was poor. He was grabbing his shorts and sucking wind throughout the game, particularly in the 4th and in overtime.

2. KYRIE IS MOSTLY PLAYING OFF-BALL -- This includes when Luka is out of the game. I like this, let him save his energy for scoring.

3. THIS IS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME -- Luka and Kyrie meshing will take some work, in terms of what pace the team uses, how the offense is run, etc. Still, Kyrie can fit in with any offense because of his scoring and handling ability.

4. DALLAS DESPERATELY NEEDS BETTER BIGS -- Dwight Powell works hard and tries hard, but he has no offensive game at all. He can't shoot, has no post moves, and is scared to go up with the ball even like 3 feet from the hoop. This ruins the spacing of the offense for Kyrie and Luka, and it hurts their ability to pass the ball off for easy hoops when the defense collapses on them. McGee is a better finisher, and he seems to be starting to get more minutes. McGee seems to work well with Kyrie. Dallas really will be helped when Kleber comes back, and even Bertans.

5. THINGS WERE UP AND DOWN, BUT YOU SAW THE FLASHES -- Late in the 2nd quarter, the Mavs went on like a 17-2 run and Luka and Kyrie were working beautifully. Also, late in the game they were working a 2-man offense (primarily with Luka in the post) and Kyrie was getting wide open shots. This is going to work.

6. DALLAS NEEDS MORE TALENT -- For whatever reason, Jason Kidd has soured on Christian Wood. Luka and Kyrie are great, but the roster doesn't have enough talent. And definitely more defensive talent will be needed with Luka and Kyrie as your main guys.

7. LUKA WILL NEED TO LEARN TO TRUST MORE -- Kyrie had an open three late that he never got to shoot because Luka shot a forced three in an attempt to tie the game. Luka can make those shots, but Kyrie is better with an open three. Luka admitted he should have passed Kyrie the ball after the game. Good. As much as this was a miscue, there was a worse one earlier in the game (don't recall when) with Kyrie absolutely wide, wide open for three and Luka forced a three over like two guys. Luka is not used to having someone as talented as Kyrie around him (don't even mention Porzingis), so he needs to start to adjust and share the crucial shots. I think he will, but it'll take time.

Overall, it was a fun game and Dallas hung in. Fox went nuts for Sacto. The Kings are a good team and defended homecourt.

[Kingdibs19]

Nice post, hate the nickname though, how about Homies with Handles. Why doesn’t Wood start though. That would solve point 4 and 6.

[The High Cyde]

Dribble brothers lol got a chuckle out of that

[HotRocks34]

Nice post, hate the nickname though, how about Homies with Handles. Why doesn’t Wood start though. That would solve point 4 and 6.

I like "Homies with Handles." Cool.

For some reason, Kidd is burying Wood right now. Kidd likes to play mind games, so maybe this is his way of motivating Wood. It's either that or he knows he needs better defensive bigs on the court with Luka and Kyrie out there. Powell works hard, even though he's not a great defender. Wood is poor on defense.

[HotRocks34]

Dribble brothers lol got a chuckle out of that

I stole it from someone else. Can't recall where I saw it. Maybe on Twitter.

[picc]

Luka and Kyrie worked and it'll work better as they continue to play together and find a rhythm.

That's not the Mavs concern on offense. Their concern is that their bigs are all fatally flawed in some way.

Powell can't really function on offense in space, is uncoordinated with the ball, not a good finisher on non-dunks, can't shoot, etc. He works hard and that should be appreciated but in an offense where he'll inevitably have the ball a lot with the two guards being doubled, its best case scenario for the defense for him to make decisions. He just looks in over his head a lot.

McGee is longer on defense and is a lob threat on offense, but also lacks coordination and motor skills that hurt his finishing ability on non-dunks. He's also a slow reactor on defense. He's long enough to still alter shots, but a lot of times shots go up before he can gather himself to contest because he's so slow.

Wood can't function that well against great iso defense. That's his biggest problem, but not enough to keep him from playing over Powell and McGee. IDK what Kidd has against the guy but under no circumstance should Powell be playing more minutes, especially in crunchtime. His defense is questionable sure, but he's been playing well enough on that end for his offense to get him PT over Powell.

Gonna be an interesting experience for sure. I don't think there's any bigs in the buyout market, so they might be stuck. Maybe a call to Dwight in China?

[HotRocks34]

Luka and Kyrie worked and it'll work better as they continue to play together and find a rhythm.

That's not the Mavs concern on offense. Their concern is that their bigs are all fatally flawed in some way.

Powell can't really function on offense in space, is uncoordinated with the ball, not a good finisher, can't shoot, etc. He works hard and that should be appreciated but in an offense where he'll inevitably have the ball a lot with the two guards being doubled, its best case scenario for the defense for him to make decisions. He just looks in over his head a lot.

McGee is longer on defense and is a lob threat on offense, but also lacks coordination and motor skills that hurt his finishing ability on non-dunks. He's also a slow reactor on defense. He's long enough to still alter shots, but a lot of times shots go up before he can gather himself to contest because he's so slow.

Wood can't function that well against great iso defense. That's his biggest problem, but not enough to keep him from playing over Powell and McGee. IDK what Kidd has against the guy but under no circumstance should Powell be playing more minutes, especially in crunchtime. His defense is questionable sure, but he's been playing well enough on that end for his offense to get him PT over Powell.

Gonna be an interesting experience for sure. I don't think there's any bigs in the buyout market, so they might be stuck. Maybe a call to Dwight in China?

Yep, the bigs are a huge weakness. At least Kleber can space the floor. And he's a good rim runner. Hopefully he'll be back soon.

Ross would have been a nice pick up, too. But the bigs are the main problem, I agree.

Probably no real solutions until the summer. If they get a solid big and retain Kyrie, they should be in good shape. Will be interesting to see what happens with Wood.

[Andri]

Offense is not the problem, defense is. Particularly, interior defense. They need an upgrade over Powell and Wood in that regard.

[ChumboChappati]

So last night was the first night that the Dribble Bros (Luka and Kyrie, AKA LuKy) took the court together.

The Mavs lost to the Kings, who put in a spirited effort and avenged their loss the night previous. Both games were in Sacramento.

Here are some thoughts on the game.

1. LUKA IS OUT OF SHAPE -- Luka had missed 4 straight games with injury, and his conditioning was poor. He was grabbing his shorts and sucking wind throughout the game, particularly in the 4th and in overtime.

2. KYRIE IS MOSTLY PLAYING OFF-BALL -- This includes when Luka is out of the game. I like this, let him save his energy for scoring.

3. THIS IS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME -- Luka and Kyrie meshing will take some work, in terms of what pace the team uses, how the offense is run, etc. Still, Kyrie can fit in with any offense because of his scoring and handling ability.

4. DALLAS DESPERATELY NEEDS BETTER BIGS -- Dwight Powell works hard and tries hard, but he has no offensive game at all. He can't shoot, has no post moves, and is scared to go up with the ball even like 3 feet from the hoop. This ruins the spacing of the offense for Kyrie and Luka, and it hurts their ability to pass the ball off for easy hoops when the defense collapses on them. McGee is a better finisher, and he seems to be starting to get more minutes. McGee seems to work well with Kyrie. Dallas really will be helped when Kleber comes back, and even Bertans.

5. THINGS WERE UP AND DOWN, BUT YOU SAW THE FLASHES -- Late in the 2nd quarter, the Mavs went on like a 17-2 run and Luka and Kyrie were working beautifully. Also, late in the game they were working a 2-man offense (primarily with Luka in the post) and Kyrie was getting wide open shots. This is going to work.

6. DALLAS NEEDS MORE TALENT -- For whatever reason, Jason Kidd has soured on Christian Wood. Luka and Kyrie are great, but the roster doesn't have enough talent. And definitely more defensive talent will be needed with Luka and Kyrie as your main guys.

7. LUKA WILL NEED TO LEARN TO TRUST MORE -- Kyrie had an open three late that he never got to shoot because Luka shot a forced three in an attempt to tie the game. Luka can make those shots, but Kyrie is better with an open three. Luka admitted he should have passed Kyrie the ball after the game. Good. As much as this was a miscue, there was a worse one earlier in the game (don't recall when) with Kyrie absolutely wide, wide open for three and Luka forced a three over like two guys. Luka is not used to having someone as talented as Kyrie around him (don't even mention Porzingis), so he needs to start to adjust and share the crucial shots. I think he will, but it'll take time.

Overall, it was a fun game and Dallas hung in. Fox went nuts for Sacto. The Kings are a good team and defended homecourt.

Point # 7 is key. Luka has never played with a superstar before so you can excuse his first game with Kyrie. Luka has to learned this quickly though, there is not much time left in the regular season

[HotRocks34]

Offense is not the problem, defense is. Particularly, interior defense. They need an upgrade over Powell and Wood in that regard.

Yeah.

McGee was terrible early in the year. Big disappointment. But he seems to have some chemistry with Kyrie and he can protect the rim. Hopefully he'll be on the upswing now and get more minutes.

[Zespetjest]

Luka and Kyrie worked and it'll work better as they continue to play together and find a rhythm.

That's not the Mavs concern on offense. Their concern is that their bigs are all fatally flawed in some way.

Powell can't really function on offense in space, is uncoordinated with the ball, not a good finisher, can't shoot, etc. He works hard and that should be appreciated but in an offense where he'll inevitably have the ball a lot with the two guards being doubled, its best case scenario for the defense for him to make decisions. He just looks in over his head a lot.

McGee is longer on defense and is a lob threat on offense, but also lacks coordination and motor skills that hurt his finishing ability on non-dunks. He's also a slow reactor on defense. He's long enough to still alter shots, but a lot of times shots go up before he can gather himself to contest because he's so slow.

Wood can't function that well against great iso defense. That's his biggest problem, but not enough to keep him from playing over Powell and McGee. IDK what Kidd has against the guy but under no circumstance should Powell be playing more minutes, especially in crunchtime. His defense is questionable sure, but he's been playing well enough on that end for his offense to get him PT over Powell.

Gonna be an interesting experience for sure. I don't think there's any bigs in the buyout market, so they might be stuck. Maybe a call to Dwight in China?

Yep, the bigs are a huge weakness. At least Kleber can space the floor. And he's a good rim runner. Hopefully he'll be back soon.

Ross would have been a nice pick up, too. But the bigs are the main problem, I agree.

Probably no real solutions until the summer. If they get a solid big and retain Kyrie, they should be in good shape. Will be interesting to see what happens with Wood.

I really don't understand Nico why he didn't try to get Poeltl. He would be that missing part for sure.

[Karate Diop]

1. Luka is so great they'll be fine for as long as Kyrie is fine.
2. Kyrie plays best as a SG.
3. Good teams are going to pick on their backcourt defensively, having a legitimate rim protector would greatly help the Mavericks when that happens.

[HotRocks34]

Point # 7 is key. Luka has never played with a superstar before so you can excuse his first game with Kyrie. Luka has to learned this quickly though, there is not much time left in the regular season

I agree. And as I mentioned, Porzingis was not that guy (IMO). But Kyrie IS that guy, particularly when it comes to taking and making big shots. So Luka will have to learn. And Luka admitting after the game that hey blew it by not passing it to Kyrie late was a first step.

Truthfully, Luka was dead tired late in the game and forced some ugly bricks up. Dallas could have won the game, but Luka botched it. If he uses Kyrie properly, everyone will benefit.

I think it will work, it'll just take time.

[HotRocks34]

3. Good teams are going to pick on their backcourt defensively, having a legitimate rim protector would greatly help the Mavericks when that happens.

Yep. Sacto's plan was to attack Kyrie and Luka on defense. And it worked.

They do need a good big. McGee can hopefully help short term, same with Kleber. But that's the next area for the team to upgrade.

Powell is expiring and may be gone. So they'll have that money.

[Ballerhogger]

The kings out rebound the mavericks that was biggest reason they lost

[HotRocks34]

I really don't understand Nico why he didn't try to get Poeltl. He would be that missing part for sure.

Yeah I don't know his thinking. Maybe they felt tapped out on things after getting Kyrie.

[picc]

Yep, the bigs are a huge weakness. At least Kleber can space the floor. And he's a good rim runner. Hopefully he'll be back soon.

Ross would have been a nice pick up, too. But the bigs are the main problem, I agree.

Probably no real solutions until the summer. If they get a solid big and retain Kyrie, they should be in good shape. Will be interesting to see what happens with Wood.

Forgot about Kleber. All things considered, I think he's their most important big. Was certainly the best one they had in the playoffs last year.

Kleber and Wood should probably close games for them, but Kidd's apparently vendetta against Wood might not let that happen. We'll have to see. I'd hate to see them lose because its late in a game and Powell travels and trips over himself after Luka's doubled.

[Papi_swav]

Dribble brothers lol got a chuckle out of that

I stole it from someone else. Can't recall where I saw it. Maybe on Twitter.

When the Nets traded for Harden, Charles Barkley said "Kevin Durant went from the splash brothers to the dribble brothers"

[HotRocks34]

Yep, the bigs are a huge weakness. At least Kleber can space the floor. And he's a good rim runner. Hopefully he'll be back soon.

Ross would have been a nice pick up, too. But the bigs are the main problem, I agree.

Probably no real solutions until the summer. If they get a solid big and retain Kyrie, they should be in good shape. Will be interesting to see what happens with Wood.

Forgot about Kleber. All things considered, I think he's their most important big. Was certainly the best one they had in the playoffs last year.

Kleber and Wood should probably close games for them, but Kidd's apparently vendetta against Wood might not let that happen. We'll have to see. I'd hate to see them lose because its late in a game and Powell travels and trips over himself after Luka's doubled.

I agree, Kleber will be key. Hopefully he's back soon.

Kidd LOVES to play mind games with players he coaches. I'm hoping he's trying to toughen Wood up for the playoffs. They're going to need him.

I agree with you, I would probably close games with those two. Both can space the floor.

[Dirk]

Dwight Powell wanted me to share this.