Dallas Mavericks: Delon Wright stands out against the Pelicans

Dallas Mavericks guard Delon Wright produced one of the best games of his career against the Pelicans on Oct. 25. See what Coach Carlisle had to say after the contest.

Dallas Mavericks fans could not be happier about the team’s start. Luka Doncic has led the Mavs to two victories while averaging 29.5 points per game. Kristaps Porzingis chipped in 20-plus in both games. The Mavericks look like a playoff team.

They matched up against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. It was the team’s first road game of the season. Delon Wright sparked the 123-116 victory with a standout performance. Let us take a closer look.

Moved to bench

Coach Carlisle decided to shake up the starting five in game two. Doncic, Porzingis, and Courtney Lee remained in the unit. Delon Wright and Maxi Kleber were replaced by Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith, though. Carlisle wanted to matchup against the smaller faster-paced Pelicans.

The move backfired a bit. New Orleans led 22-13 less than six minutes into the game. They hit nearly every shot. It forced Carlisle to replace Brunson, Porzingis, and Lee with Wright, Kleber, and Tim Hardaway Jr. early in the game.

Wright stands out

Perhaps the benching was a bit of motivation for Delon Wright because he responded with one of the best games of his career. He finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and five steals in 32 minutes of action. Wright hit eight of 12 from the field and all four of his free throw attempts. He was one of the five on the court to begin the second half as well.

Wright put together a nice highlight package on Friday too.

The 27-year-old guard attacked the basket well. That is Wright’s game. He has not had a ton of chances to make it happen as he fits into the Mavericks system. Expect to see D-Wright having more success scoring as the season progresses.

Wright also played exceptionally well on the defensive end of the floor. Coach Carlisle praised the performance during his postgame comments.

The Dallas Mavericks agreed to sign-and-trade for Delon Wright because of his abilities as a secondary creator and perimeter defender. He had both skills on full display in New Orleans. Hopefully, Wright is settled into his role and ready to make it a nightly occurrence.

The Mavs play the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. They will need Wright to step up on the defensive end in that matchup. He will be asked to guard both Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. That is no easy task, but Wright is capable of slowing them down.

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