3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' 119-101 loss to the Timberwolves

2. Dud - Grant Williams

After a solid performance against the Los Angeles Lakers upon his return from injury, Grant Williams had a rough go at shooting the ball in Dallas' loss to Minnesota. Williams played 36 minutes last night and finished just 2-11 from the field, and it looked as if that heavy minute dosage after a return from injury coupled with how much size Minnesota has at the forward positions made Williams' night abysmal.

Despite how strong he is on defense, Williams didn't have the length or quickness to stay with the likes of Karl Anthony-Towns and Jaden McDaniels when guarding them head-up throughout most of the game. Towns is a dynamic superstar and McDaniels has improved his offensive game tremendously since entering the league, so it's not like Williams' is being asked to guard any slouches.

Williams is routinely tasked with guarding the best 3 or 4 on the other team on a nightly basis, but he admittedly hasn't played as good of defense compared to where he was at once the regular season had just kicked off. Williams' decline in shooting has been just as profound, as he averaged only eight points per game off of 32.7/29.3/80 shooting splits in his last seven contests.

Williams has done a great job of attacking closeouts to make drive-and-kick passes when he gets run off the 3-point line recently, but other than that he's looked extremely hesitant offensively when doing anything besides shooting a spot-up three. Williams isn't making any floaters, layups off of cuts, etc. in this recent stretch. It would certainly be a relief for Mavericks fans for Williams to prove once again that he isn't just a purebred 3-and-D player, as he was much more dynamic on offense and deserving of a starting role after the first few games of the season compared to now.

Williams is an integral component for Dallas' hopeful playoff success as they will struggle immensely if he's not firing on all cylinders on defense at the very least, so hopefully Williams can get back on track soon.