Dallas Mavericks: 5 rotation mistakes Jason Kidd must avoid

Rotation mistake Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd must avoid: 1. Taking Luka out early

Former Mavs coach Rick Carlisle will be in the Hall of Fame one day after he helped Dallas win the title in 2011. He is brilliant and one of the best coaches in the NBA, but he made a massive mistake resting Luka Doncic with 4:58 left in the first quarter of Game 3 in their first-round playoff series. The Mavericks had built a 28-11 lead and the American Airlines Center was rocking as Dallas already held a two-game advantage on the Clippers. Resting Luka was all LA needed to get back in the contest, and it was 34-31 at the end of the first.

There are no guarantees the Mavs win that game if Luka stays on the floor, but resting Doncic in the first and third quarters has not worked out as well. The 22-year-old superstar prefers to take his breaks at the start of the second and fourth periods, and that pattern allows Luka to have a bit more energy late in games.

Coach Carlisle went away from that because Kristaps Porzingis let it be known that he preferred to play longer stretches, but the move was detrimental to the team. New head coach Jason Kidd will want to stagger his stars, but he cannot make the mistake of taking Luka Doncic out early in games, especially in the playoffs. Let the 22-year-old play the entire first and third quarters.

It will be interesting to see how things change with Jason Kidd leading the Dallas Mavericks. Check back to The Smoking Cuban for more, plus all the news, rumors, and analysis supporters crave on their favorite team.