4 Areas the Dallas Mavericks will need to improve upon after All-Star break

3. Transition defense

The Dallas Mavericks currently rank 23rd in transition defense across the NBA, as it’s been one of Dallas’ more underlying issues all season. Transition defense in the modern NBA is no easy task, as teams routinely advance the ball to try and shoot three-pointers in transition more so than ever before.

However, the Mavericks have got to be better at transition defense once they return from the All-Star breaks and there’s a variety of ways they can do this. With the addition of Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington, Dallas has already seen how much more athletic their frontcourt is through just three contests. This should help the Mavericks with their transition defense going forward, but the biggest thing the Mavericks will have to do to fix this issue will be their effort.

As otherworldly as Mavericks’ superstar Luka Doncic is, he does have a tendency to be lackadaisical getting back on defense when he’s arguing calls with the referees. This usually puts the Mavericks in disadvantageous situations with their transition defense at least a couple of times every game. Dallas also has to do a better job of getting their defense back and set up in time, as they occasionally fail to get set up and can’t get a body on a body in transition.

Sprinting back off of long misses and turnovers needs to be a key emphasis for Dallas going forward as well if they want to improve their transition defense. We can only hope Dallas’ influx of athleticism will help mend their transition defense, as it’s certainly an area teams will look to exploit come playoff time if the Mavericks continue to let this issue seap through.