Dallas Mavericks: 2 studs and 1 dud in win over Nuggets

Dallas Mavericks dud in win over shorthanded Nuggets: 1. Willie Cauley-Stein

Cauley-Stein only managed to play three minutes on Monday night. He kept his role as the backup center, but Trill was just on the court in the first quarter. Nikola Jokic bullied him in the paint, and WCS produced just one assist against Denver.

The center minutes for the Mavericks are in-flux at the moment. Starter Dwight Powell was limited to 18 on Nov. 15. He did produce five points, seven rebounds, and one assist, but was just two of six from the field. Dallas is having their most success playing small with KP at the five. Expect them to continue shifting to more time with the Unicorn at center.

It will be interesting to see if Willie Cauley-Stein remains in the rotation. He has played under ten minutes in five straight games but has appeared in all 13 contests thus far. Will head coach Jason Kidd go in another direction moving forward? Does Boban Marjanovic or Moses Brown get some run? It is a situation to watch moving forward.

The Dallas Mavericks could also just shift Dwight Powell to the bench and play him the remaining minutes at the five with Kristaps Porzingis starting. Maxi Kleber is not ready to return, but he could play some at center when healthy. Cauley-Stein needs to pick it up, or he will not be long for the rotation.