The best way to fix the Dallas Mavericks' struggling defense is clear

On Tuesday, the Dallas Mavericks played the Indiana Pacers for their final in-season matchup. After losing embarrassingly to the Pacers just over a week prior, the Mavericks were looking to correct their mistakes and get a much-needed win.

After a strong first-half showing on the offensive end, it became clear that the Mavericks needed to make urgent corrections on the defensive end after allowing 74 points at halftime. Unfortunately, not only would the offense slow down for the Mavs, but so would the defense and they would go on to lose 137-120.

After dropping five of their last six games, it has become abundantly clear that Jason Kidd needs to change things within the Mavericks rotation before it's too late. The Mavs have now fallen to 23rd in defensive rating, which ranks with some of the NBA's worst teams, such as the San Antonio Spurs and the Portland Trail Blazers.

The best way to fix the Dallas Mavericks' struggling defense is clear

Both players and coaching staff have been quick to announce effort and rebounding as the Mavericks' main problem, but it could be deeper than that.

Jason Kidd has always run an effort-based defensive scheme. The reason the Mavericks made it to the Western Conference Finals in the 2021-22 NBA season was due to their top-five-ranked defensive rating and the fact that everyone bought into the system.

Now, the Mavericks have an issue where so much effort is bought into the offensive end of the ball, and very little is paid attention to on the defensive end. As Kidd mentioned, the Mavericks' defense stems from their offense. If the team scores, they will play defense; if they don't score, then defense becomes secondary.

Newly acquired center Daniel Gafford has also been another vocal advocate of the Mavericks' lack of effort over this rough patch. Gafford mentioned trust as one of the team's major issues, and he could be correct. This team has had very little time to practice and gel since the All-Star break, which could explain for their recent struggles.

Correcting the Mavericks' lack of effort and having players buy in on the defensive end could be the formula to winning games again for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks will have a good opportunity to correct some of their defensive errors as they will play the 12th-ranked offensive team in the Miami Heat. For more updates on Jason Kidd, Daniel Gafford, and Dallas Mavericks basketball, stay plugged in.