Dallas Mavericks: Grading J.J. Barea’s 2019-2020 season

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Dallas Mavericks J.J. Barea (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Defense

J.J. Barea has never been a lockdown defender. He provides effort and energy. At 5’10 and 185 pounds, he can get scored on a bit. Coach Carlisle does well in playing the matchups, though.

J.J. averaged 1.8 rebounds per game this season. His steal and block numbers were virtually non-existent.

The advanced metrics did not do him any favors either. His 0.2 defensive win shares were 15th on the Mavericks ahead of only the three men that played fewer than ten games with Dallas. He had the worst defensive box score plus-minus on the team at negative 2.7 as well.

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To put it nicely, Barea struggled on this end of the floor. The injury zapped a bit of burst from him, and it showed. He dealt with various lower leg injuries too. Perhaps, if play resumes Barea is a bit healthier, and his defense improves.

Defensive grade: D

Barea was not an absolute negative here so far. He made a massive impact giving instructions and encouragement from the bench. Barea was in some ways like a player-coach. His on-court defense led to him receiving a D grade, though. It pains me to write it as Barea will always be one of my favorite Mavericks.

Next: Overall grade