Dallas Mavericks: Back to Basics on Day One of Camp

The Dallas Mavericks took the court for day one of training camp and it was all back to the basics for Rick Carlisle.

After a Media Day in which Rick Carlisle surprised some by saying Nerlens Noel would be coming off the bench, Carlisle was back in mid-season form after the first day of training camp.

When I asked the Head Coach of the Mavericks what stood out to him on the first day, he said it was a solid day of camp that focused on the basics.

“We are doing a lot of basic work. Transition defense, transition offense. Really focusing on defensive rebounding,” Carlisle said.

Carlisle made it known on Media Day that the Mavs would be playing at a faster pace this season and they look to be focusing on the basics of that faster pace by working on their transition game on the first day of camp.

“I like the way it went. It’s a building block and tomorrow it will be more of the same and we will add a couple of things,” Carlisle added.

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When Carlisle was asked about what is dictating this change to a faster pace, Carlisle pointed towards the roster, not necessarily the shift in the league.

“It’s our roster, we have five legitimate point guards,” Carlisle said. “If we don’t play that uptempo style then we are going to be sitting one of our better players.”

On the current roster, the Mavericks have Dennis Smith Jr., J.J. Barea, Yogi Ferrell, Devin Harris, Seth Curry and Maalik Wayns all at the point guard spot with a few of them able to play the two. This isn’t including Wesley Matthews as he looks to play more small forward this season.

With the roster makeup and the transition to a faster pace, three guard lineups seem inevitable for the Dallas Mavericks this coming season.

Next: A Chat With Harrison Barnes on Offseason, Improvements & More

But for day one of camp, it was back to the basics for Carlisle and the Mavs.

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