Getty Luka Doncic and Kristap Porzingis in the NBA Bubble.
In consecutive seasons, the Dallas Mavericks have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. During the 2021 postseason, they were the worst rebounding team of any in the first round with just 40.6 per game.
However, their poor rebounding numbers weren’t just an issue in the postseason. This was something that held them back throughout the regular season as well.
In the 2020-21 season, Dallas was the ninth-worst rebounding team in the NBA, pulling down just 43.3 per contest. Being in the bottom third of the league was largely driven by their struggles on the offensive glass. They were 25th in the NBA last season with 9.1 offensive rebounds per game.
Why did the Mavericks struggle so much on the boards?
Addressing the Issue
At the core of the Mavericks’ rebounding struggles last season was not having a dominant big who cleans up the boards. In fact, their top rebounder was Kristaps Porzingis, who pulled down just 8.9 rebounds per game.
From there, Luka Doncic was second on the team with 8.0 per game, which actually presents a unique opportunity. When teams have a guard that rebounds as well as Doncic, they have a real chance to be one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA.
The Mavericks haven’t been able to capitalize on this, as they’ve still struggled on the boards even with one of the best rebounding guards in the league.
GettyLuka Doncic shows emotion after a dunk against the LA Clippers in the playoffs.
From there, Dorian Finney-Smith (5.4 per game) and Maxi Kleber (5.2) were third and fourth respectively in rebounds per game for Dallas.
If the Mavericks are going to become a better rebounding team this season, they’ll likely need to see Porzingis take a leap as a rebounder.
Reason for Optimism
It takes a collective team effort to improve rebounding numbers, but the Mavericks did make an acquisition during the offseason that could make an immediate impact. Moses Brown is a 7-foot-2 center that is an absolute force on the glass and is one of the new faces in the locker room.
#MosesBrown has the 2nd fastest double-double in OKC history tonight (8:11) 📊
Last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he averaged 15.0 rebounds per 36 minutes. During the 2020-21 season, Boban Marjanovic (17.0 per 36) and Porzingis (10.3 per 36) were the only one Mavericks that averaged double-digit rebounds per 36 minutes. This means Brown has the chance to be one of the most productive rebounders on the entire Dallas roster this season.
Brown was a starter in every game during the second half of the 2020-21 season in Oklahoma City, gaining a ton of experience and stuffing the stat sheet. One of the most efficient rebounders in the league, he ranked 20th in the NBA in rebounds per game. Among the top-20 rebounders, he was the only player to play less than 25 minutes per game on average.
Brown pulled down 3.6 offensive rebounds per game last season, which was one of the main weaknesses in Dallas last season. He should immediately help in that department, after nobody on the Mavericks last season even averaged 2.0 offensive rebounds per game.
Brown won’t be an immediate fix for the Mavericks, but is someone who could really make a difference in terms of improving their rebounding numbers this season.
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Beyond the Box Score: Rebounding a Weakness for Mavericks