Tarik Biberovic can't just rely on his shooting to crack the Mavericks' rotation

Tarik Biberovic was one of the best 3-point shooters in Europe last season, and Dallas Mavericks fans should be ecstatic that the team acquired his draft rights in the trade that brought Santi Aldama to Dallas. He shot 48.9 percent from three on 5.2 attempts per game in his final season for Fenerbahce in the BSL, but shooting alone won't earn him a full-time role in Dusty May's rotation.

Dallas needs Tarik Biberovic's shooting

The Mavs were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA last season (34.4 percent shooting on 31.9 attempts per game). While Biberovic's floor spacing and knockdown shooting should help Dallas improve from deep, they won't earn him a spot in the rotation if they aren't complemented by other skills.

Defense could determine Biberovic's role

He needs to be able to do more than make open shots, and his defense could end up being what separates him from being a garbage-time warrior and a reliable rotation piece.

The Mavericks are loaded on the wing

The Mavericks were intentional about adding more wing depth this offseason. Biberovic will be competing with Max Christie, Zaccharie Risacher, Naji Marshall, Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, and Caleb Martin for minutes as a rookie, and he won't have a cakewalk to a guaranteed role.

Washington and Flagg are poised to have very prominent roles, leaving the rest of the players as ones to watch as Biberovic fights for minutes next season. Training camp and preseason will be a great indicator of where he stands in the rotation, and he has a chance to make some headway before the regular season even begins.

Risacher and Christie are both solid defenders who can shoot, Marshall is an elite slasher and underrated playmaker, and Martin showed signs that he can turn back the clock and be a 3-and-D player again at the end of last season. Each of these players brings a specific skill set that Dallas needs, but Biberovic could insert himself comfortably into this conversation if he thrives as a defender and is not a liability.

Biberovic's defense remains a question mark

He averaged just 0.4 steals per game for Fenerbahce last season and didn't have any multi-steal games. He also only blocked three shots over 25 games. Wings aren't necessarily supposed to be known as shot blockers, but the stats aren't the only reason his defense is a question mark right now.

Biberovic has a strong, lengthy frame, as he is 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, which should help him guard up when needed. His physicality should also help in this area, but his lateral quickness is subpar. This could cause problems for him, as teams may hunt him in pick-and-rolls in an effort to create a mismatch.

This is why his defense could be so important as a rookie. The Mavericks can't afford for one of their guys to get consistently hunted, regardless of how good the defense is around him.

If Biberovic can hold his own, he should be in a good spot, though. He is a smart team defender, and makes timely rotations.

Even if Biberovic's shooting looks good right away in the preseason, his defense may be a bigger indicator of what his role is going to look like.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow