3 Biggest weaknesses for the Dallas Mavericks so far this season

The Dallas Mavericks have got out to a blazing hot start to the season at 8-2, but there have still been some pretty noticeable flaws through the first 10 games of the year. Despite sitting in sole possession of the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference after defeating New Orleans on Sunday night, Dallas hasn't had the most difficult strength of schedule early on.

Dallas will need to stay consistent against better opponents to prove that their flaws won't be something that come back to bite them when they face off against better opponents, especially during playoff time.

3 Biggest weaknesses for the Dallas Mavericks so far this season

Dallas may opt to address their areas of weakness at some point in the season, but as of currently, this roster is what we'll be evaluating unless Dallas tapers off from this insane start that they are having.

Nonetheless, here are the Dallas Mavericks' three biggest weaknesses this far into the season.

3. Lack of a definitive third ball handler off the bench

The Dallas Mavericks have understandably leaned heavily on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to take heed of most of the allotted guard minutes available in the Mavericks' rotation. Dallas' record bodes them well, but they've had to play Doncic and Irving more than they'd like to because of their tendency to get off to slower starts this season.

Dallas' rugged first halves this season have been caused by a variety of factors, but they've also admittedly been a product of Doncic and Irving sometimes getting off to rough starts from the field as well. Nevertheless, we saw just how lethal the Mavericks offense can be in the first half when head coach Jason Kidd divvied up the guard minutes more effectively in the Mavericks 144-126 blowout victory over the LA Clippers on Friday night.

One of the Mavericks' biggest weaknesses this season has been the lack of a definitive third ball handler off the bench, as Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum both played sparingly throughout the first handful of games this season. Seth Curry has seen his role diminished in the last few games, but even he hasn't been an integral part of the rotation at any part of this season so far.

On Friday night against the Clippers, we saw the Mavericks start to mend some of their offensive creation issues off the bench as Exum served as the lead ball handler in multiple lineups off the bench for Dallas. Hardy has played much more in the last few games and his ability to create off the dribble and catch and shoot has been invaluable.

Dallas may have the solution toward their slow starts staring right in front of them. If Friday night versus the Clippers was a precursor for what may come then hopefully the defense, playmaking, and shooting between Hardy and Exum prove to be a huge spark plug off the bench for Dallas when they are facing good opposing guards or one of Irving or Doncic is having a rough go.

2. Perimeter defense

The Dallas Mavericks have had a really spotty defense overall to start the season. As can be expected with any NBA team that is still trying to get fully acclimated together at the start of the season, Dallas has had moments where they've looked really good defensively as well as unbearable to watch.

Lots of Dallas' defensive woes can be attributed to getting out-hustled on the defensive glass for second-chance points, as well as their inability to get back on defense when other teams force turnovers off of lackadaisical Dallas passes.

Dallas' front-court defense has become increasingly stout, with Grant Williams and Dereck Lively II thriving defensively as they get more comfortable within the Mavericks' switch-heavy scheme, but the Mavericks are still having some perimeter defensive issues stemming particularly from their trouble closing out on shooters.

Tim Hardaway Jr. has had one of the best seasons in his career as a defender this season for Dallas, as he's only behind Jalen Brunson for the most charges drawn in the league this season with eight on the year already. Hardaway Jr. has been more stout in one-on-one matchups as well which is a sight for sore eyes, but he still has his deficiencies as a defender.

Couple that with the fact that Josh Green has been playing much more reactive and sporadic on defense, almost as if he's losing the discipline he showcased defensively last year that made him so effective, and it's no wonder that the Mavericks are having some perimeter defensive issues.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have been playing well on defense to start the year, but they can only be expected to expel so much energy on that end given their workload offensively. If Dallas starts to lean on Dante Exum and Jaden Hardy a little bit more after strong performances in the last few games, it could certainly bolster their ability to stay in front of the NBA's top guards and wings on a nightly basis.

1. Rebounding

The Dallas Mavericks suffered on the defensive glass throughout all of last season, as they finished the year dead last in the NBA in rebounds per game. Before Dallas tipped off against New Orleans on Monday night, they registered as the 26th worst rebounding team in the league, at only 41.1 rebounds per game.

It’s been known since the start of the season that Dallas was going to have to rebound by committee after they failed to bring back a true defensive stopper at the center position.
Dereck Lively II has had games where his size and length have led him to have gaudy double-double performances this far into the season, but the rookie center will get out-rebounded by bigger and more physical centers oftentimes still.

If Dallas can bring back a veteran big man who is big and physical off the bench at some point this season, that may be their best bet to cover up the lack of positional size they have at the 4 and 5 spots. Maxi Kleber hasn't looked near as effective as in years past at getting after it on the glass, and Dwight Powell is a pretty average rebounder for a center statistically speaking.

Grant Williams hustles hard for loose balls but his lack of height deters him from getting a fair amount of potential boards, and Richaun Holmes has played sparingly this season for Dallas. On top of the Mavericks' big-man rotation underperforming from a rebounding perspective, their guard rotation is as well.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have been the most aggressive guards in terms of attacking the glass by a pretty wide margin, but other Mavericks wings and guards will need to do a better job of tracking long misses and boxing out if Dallas is to change the perception of them being a bad rebounding team.

We'll have you covered with all the latest on Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks this season, so stay tuned.