Mavericks’ mechanical tweak is quietly turning them into an unstoppable force

The Dallas Mavericks are looking like one of the best teams in the NBA as they have gotten healthy over the last few weeks, and P.J. Washington is playing some of the best basketball of his career as a Maverick right now.

Washington is averaging 12.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.1 percent from the field. He is thriving in his role as Dallas' do-it-all defender as he can guard nearly any position, and he is bringing everything that the Mavs need from him.

Outside of his defense, Washington is rebounding extremely well, getting to the rim, handling the ball, and knocking down open shots.

Washington's up-and-down shooting was quietly his Achilles heel during his first season with the Mavs and at the beginning of this season, but he has turned into one of the most reliable shooters on the team. He is shooting 36 percent from downtown on 3.9 attempts per game, and that is a major jump from the 31.4 percent that he shot from the Mavs last season.

Washington's jumper tweak is transforming the Mavericks

Washington was shooting more threes than he ever had while playing in the playoffs last season as he was shooting 6.1 threes per game, and over the summer, he worked hard on improving his jumper. He was undoubtedly one of the hardest workers on the team over the summer, and there was even some reporting that Washington "retooled" his jumper over the offseason.

After over a quarter of the season, the slight changes in his jumper are clear when looking closely, and they have helped him become more efficient.

There seems to be a small tweak in his load-up before he lets it fly, and that could be a huge reason for his improvement as a shooter this season compared to last season. He looks to be bending his knees a little bit more, and this small bend and slight dip when loading up to shoot gives him the rhythm he needs to be a better shooter off the catch.

Dallas needed him to step up as a shooter badly this season, especially after the Klay Thompson signing, and he has done that and more. He is becoming someone that teams can't leave open, and him being a consistent 3-point shooter makes the Mavs' offense much more deadly.

Washington is shooting 46.3 percent on above-the-break threes this season, and that is a major jump from last season when he shot 37 percent on these shots (as a Maverick). He incorporates 3-point shooting heavily into his pregame workout, and his development as a shooter has been more crucial than anyone realizes.

Defenses can't help off of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, or Thompson already, and that helps get Washington plenty of open looks. This small mechanical tweak in his jumper has truly been key in his progression this season, and his improvement as a shooter has also helped open up other parts of his game.

Defenders closing out harder on him is allowing him to attack these closeouts and get to the rim and finish or dump the ball off to one of Dallas' bigs, and he is getting to the basket more frequently this season compared to last season. He is shooting 3.9 attempts per game on shots within five feet of the basket compared to the 2.3 attempts per game that he took last season, and he looks much more comfortable when creating for himself off the dribble.

Washington has truly become one of Dallas' most important players this season, and no one can replace the impact that he makes. His slight switch in his form and dedication to improving his jumper have been a big part of his dominant early season, and he'll look to continue this dominance tomorrow night against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center.

Thunder fans know all too well about how Washington plays in that arena, and this could be the perfect opportunity for him to get back on track from three after going 0-6 from downtown on Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors.