Mavericks mess up as former player is thriving in huge role for rival

The Dallas Mavericks are currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak, as they continue to suffer in the clutch to high-level Western Conference opponents. While we are only 11 games into the season, this is still extremely concerning for Dallas, as they have the personnel to be a team that thrives in those scenarios.

The Western Conference is competitive as ever right now, and though Dallas is still trying to fully acclimate some of their offseason additions and fine-tune their rotation, they could easily fall behind in the standings quickly if they can't fix some of their more prominent issues.

One of those issues in particular, has been Dallas' point-of-attack defense at times. Quentin Grimes pestered Stephen Curry in Dallas' recent contest against the Golden State Warriors and is a player who could prove himself as a solution to that problem coming off the bench. However, Grimes doesn't project to have a starting role anytime soon, and this issue has been accelerated by P.J. Washington's recent knee injury.

Washington is an elite level defender in Dallas' lineups, and new addition Naji Marshall is solid at defending the 2-4 positions. It's becoming increasingly clear that the Mavericks are missing another elite level point-of-attack defender in their lineup though, and they could've solved that issue by re-signing Derrick Jones Jr. this past offseason.

Derrick Jones Jr. is thriving for Clippers after Mavericks let him go

Unfortunately for the Mavericks, Jones Jr. looks like he's having a career year for the LA Clippers, and this could be a miscalculation that comes back to haunt Dallas' front office at the end of the season if the Mavericks can't patch up their defense at the point-of-attack further.

Washington coming back into the lineup will obviously aid this issue, but against some of the more dynamic scoring teams in the league, it remains to be seen whether or not this Mavericks team has what it takes from a defensive perspective to hang with the best of the best.

Jones Jr.'s length and athleticism were crucial in Dallas' run to the finals last season, as Jones Jr. had the ability to guard 1-3 on a consistent basis and oftentimes didn't waver at any counters by opposing ball handlers. This sort of defensive production is being replicated by Jones Jr. in his starting role with the Clippers, as he's averaging a career-high 1.1 steals per game through 11 contests.

Dallas could've desperately used that sort of defender in their lineup right now, and to make matters worse, Jones Jr. is having a career year from an offensive perspective as well. Jones Jr. flashed some offensive creation ability in the mid-range and with his ability to get to the rim on dribble-drives last season for the Mavericks, but he shot 34.3 percent from 3-point range on the season, which was considered good at the time based on the fact that it was a career-high mark for him.

Through 11 games with the Clippers though, Jones Jr. is averaging 11.2 points per game and is shooting an absurd 45.2 percent from distance, which would both be career-high numbers by a large stretch if the season ended today. Marshall, who signed for nearly the same price tag in Dallas as Jones Jr. did in LA and is often considered Jones Jr.'s replacement valve by many Mavs fans, is shooting an abysmal 17.4 percent from beyond the arc this season on the other hand.

Marshall is a far better offensive creator than Jones Jr. and has certainly made an impact for the Mavericks this season, but right now it's looking like Jones Jr. would've been a more impactful player on this Mavericks roster overall considering his play this year with the Clippers.

It's too early to write off Marshall completely or say that the Mavericks would be better off with Jones Jr. for the rest of the season in his place, but this early season period is pointing toward a sum of all fears scenario in the sense of Dallas giving up on Jones Jr. way too early.