Dallas Mavericks: What Kind of Point Guard Fits in Dallas?

Able to Play Off Ball

Of all the skills that Harrison Barnes portrayed his first year in Dallas, perhaps his best and most surprising is the ability to score in isolation plays. HB is a spectacular iso player, capable of blowing by heavy-footed bigs and posting-up smaller forwards. Combine this with Dirk Nowitzki, and the Mavs use iso post-ups fairly often. Carlisle also likes to use multiple guard lineups frequently.

These facts mean that any PG in the Mavs system needs to be able to play off the ball. That means moving well and knowing when to cut, but more importantly knocking down the long-range. Seth Curry found success in Dallas in large part due to his smart off ball play and the ability to shoot lights out. In the gif below Barnes attracts a double team, and Seth Curry makes the defense pay with a deep three.

One draft prospect whom many have tied to the Mavs is the French sensation Frank Ntilikina. The rangy athletic point guard has tremendous value as an off ball scorer, as he is a deadly shooter from downtown and knows how to be at the right place at the right time.

Next: High Character and Mature