Dallas Mavericks: 3 things to watch for at open practice

Thing to watch for at Dallas Mavericks open practice: 3. Defense

Head coach Jason Kidd is emphasizing defense during training camp. The Mavs finished 21st in defensive rating last season, and they know they have to be better on that end of the floor if they are going to jump into title contention.

The Mavs added Reggie Bullock, Sterling Brown, and Frank Ntilikina to improve their wing depth and perimeter defense. They are also hoping for improved health from Kristaps Porzingis, Maxi Kleber, and Dwight Powell to sure up their rim protection.

Kidd is changing the team’s scheme, and it is starting to take shape. Dallas is going to be more aggressive and wants to increase their help defense. The Hall of Fame point guard ran an ultra-aggressive defense in Milwaukee that was figured out by the end of his tenure, and it will be interesting to see how Kidd’s defense in Dallas differs from that one. He talked about taking some things from Frank Vogel after spending the last two seasons as an assistant with the Lakers where Los Angeles was one of the best defensive teams in the league.

Fans should be watching closely to see how the Mavericks look and perform on the defensive end of the floor at the team’s open practice. It will be the first chance to see Kidd’s changes, and how they are impacting the team.