Getty Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd.
Here’s a trivia question for you: which three players lead the Dallas Mavericks in usage rate this season? Number one is a gimme — Luka Doncic. Two is also probably an easy one — it’s Doncic’s backcourt running mate Spencer Dinwiddie. But what about the third? Surely it would have to be a starter, right? Dwight Powell? Dorian Finney-Smith?
Wrong. It’s Christian Wood, who has yet to start a game for Dallas, despite a usage rate that ranks in the 92nd percentile of NBA big men. He’s an offensive force, a center that finally meshes well with Doncic (looking at you, Kristaps Porzingis). He’s also second on the team in points per game and rebounds per game. So then what gives? Why has head coach Jason Kidd relegated him to the bench? In a word: defense. In two: leady defense. In three: very leaky defense.
Recently, Kidd opened up to Yahoo! Sports about what goes into keeping a player like Wood — good on offense, not so good on defense — out of the starting five.
“I think you got to be able to balance that,” Kidd said. “And, you know, sometimes you just try to keep it simple. We’re running everything just to keep things simple.
“Sometimes it puts a small on a big and then a shot goes up, that’s where it becomes about manhood and trying to fight the smalls fighting the big, but it’s hard in this league.”
Wood Seems Content With Role on the Mavericks’ Bench
Over the summer, the Mavericks traded a slew of bench guys (Boban Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Wendell Moore, Trey Burke, and Marquese Chriss) to bring Wood to Dallas.
The only problem? Even with shipping Marjanovic to Houston, the Mavericks were still stocked with big men. Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell, and newcomer JaVale McGee all figured to play some role in Dallas’ lineup at the five. That meant, in all likelihood, Wood would be relegated to the bench, a place he wasn’t used to spending much time. Add in the fact that this is a contract year for Wood, and it had the potential to get ugly quickly.
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But by all indications, Wood’s enjoyed his time in Dallas. At the beginning of November, he even sent a little love Doncic’s way after a big win over the Utah Jazz.
“It’s been great, man. The team’s been showing me love … Luka’s been showing me love. He made an emphasis today to try to get me the ball more, so it’s amazing, man. I love playing with these guys.”
JaVale McGee Confused Over Mavericks’ Bench Demotion
The same could not be said of McGee, however. The former Suns and Warriors center entered the season as the heralded starter at the five. But after a rough start to the season that saw him average just 4.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 turnovers, he too was relegated to the bench in favor of Powell.
McGee admitted confusion over the demotion in playing time shortly after.
“I don’t really have an understanding of when my minutes will come, but I’m a professional, so whatever my team feels we need to win.”
JaVale McGee’s first comment since losing starting job he coveted as free agent: “If they feel I shouldn’t be starting, I’ll cheer from the bench. If they feel like I should start or however many minutes they think I should play, I’m going to play them my hardest.”
McGee’s fit in Dallas was always going to be a clunky one. In an ideal setting, Dallas employs quick-moving centers that can operate as threats beyond the arc. McGee, a career 18.2 percent shooter from deep, is not that player.
Perhaps Dallas shops McGee around, given the team’s relative depth at the position and $17 million contract.