Defense biggest key, not Luka, Kyrie

DALLAS — The NBA isn’t exactly in a defense-heavy era, but the Dallas Mavericks are pushing those limits.

They are pushing it so far they will kick the tires on one of those old, slow pickup trucks that is better suited for the chop shop than driving Interstate 35. In fairness, the only car adequately equipped for Interstate 35 is the Batmobile.

During Kyrie Irving’s home debut as a Maverick on Monday night, ESPN NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Dallas native but very retired big man LaMarcus Aldridge is scheduled to work out with the Mavs on Tuesday.

That should tell you everything you need to know about the state of the Mavs, and specifically their defense.

If you watched the Mavs’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, you will understand why the Mavs will look at Aldridge. Or why they may even call you for a tryout, too.

On Monday night, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, whose offensive skills rival that of some squirrels, scored 21 points on 9-of-9 shooting. He averages 13 points per game this season.

Early in the fourth quarter, as the Mavs offense finally generated consistent points, the PA man continually screamed, “DEFENSE!” The Mavs may have heard it, but they couldn’t do much about it.

The Wolves relentlessly attacked the basket, because they could. And because there was no one at the rim to deter their desires. The Wolves shot 58% from the floor.

The Mavs defense ranks 10th in the NBA in points allowed. Not bad.

The Mavs defense ranks 26th in the NBA in opposing field goal percentage. Bad.

I asked Mavs Coach Jason Kidd if his interior defense is a concern.

“No. We’re here to outscore people. People come to see the points, not 80-80. We’re here to score,” he said. “This is the new NBA. Interior defense, we’ll figure it out.”

Kidd hasn’t done a complete 180 on this attitude about defense; more like a 179. He recognizes what he has.

Kidd’s meal-ticket, Luka Doncic, was a bit more pragmatic.

“You’re not going to win championships only by offense,” Doncic said.

The reason to look at LaMarcus Aldridge

In his prime, the 6-11 Aldridge was a solid post scorer and paint defender. That’s what the Mavericks need now. They need an in-hisprime Aldridge.

Aldridge is 37, and his prime is gone.

He announced his retirement in April 2021. He cited concerns about feeling an irregular heartbeat.

He came out of retirement five months after he retired to sign with Brooklyn. He appeared in 47 games last season, and averaged 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds.

He’s basically Kurt Thomas at the end of his career; a big body with six fouls to give. If that.

This is where the Mavs are; they don’t need to be some Bad Boys Pistons defensive team, but as currently constructed they bear more resemblance to Paul Westhead’s Denver Nuggets.

( Apologies for semi- obscure NBA references, but this is what my life has been reduced to.)

The Irving trade meant departing with this team’s best perimeter defender, Dorian Finney-Smith; he could guard two, and often three, spots proficiently.

The loss of forward Maxi Kleber to a torn hamstring in December has caused more problems than it should. His return is a giant TBD, and he could be lost for the season.

Forward Dwight Powell is a willing and game defender. He’s also undersized to intimidate much of anyone other than a fifth-grader from entering the paint.

The addition of free agent center JaVale McGee in the offseason hasn’t done much. He’s 35, and judging by Kidd’s minute-distribution, he doesn’t think McGee can do anything. He averages 8.3 minutes a game.

Then there is Christian Wood, a 6-9 forward who would prefer to be 6-4. He’s a talented offensive player, and a meh defender.

Kidd said it after the loss against Minnesota that the NBA is a smallball league, and defense is more about effort.

With Kyrie and Doncic spending most of their energy to score, this team’s defense will come down to players who would prefer to shoot but need to prioritize guarding people.

The Mavs were never going to be a shut-down team, but if they have any real shot at returning to the Western Conference finals they must be able generate some stops.

Not sure adding LaMarcus Aldridge does that, but they’re looking for a reason.