One of Dallas' big problems last season was that Luka Doncic lacked an alley-oop partner.
To remedy this, the Mavericks drafted Derek Lively II and recovered Daniel Gafford during the “trade deadline”, two players who multiply the offensive possibilities of their leader, and their team.
“He (Dereck Lively II) is exactly what you want for Luka” explains Nico Harrisonthe team's GM, on his rookie. “Maybe we want him to be a veteran, but he’s the prototype we want. »
Having an aerial threat on the pick-and-roll is crucial for Luka Doncic, as it mobilizes opposing defenders and forces the defense to make choices. This option really hurt the Wolves, while the Thunder had chosen to eliminate it… even if it meant opening up spaces behind the 3-point line.
But in Game 1 of the Finals, the Mavericks were never able to put it in place. Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively II only combined for 10 points, with Luka Doncic only finding his pivots once under the circle.
Depriving Luka Doncic of his favorite options
This is because, as Ben Taylor of Thinking Basketball explains, the Celtics had perfectly prepared their move.
Boston thus mixed the classic “matchups” by placing a winger (Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown) on the pivot (Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II) while Al Horford or Kristaps Porzingis placed themselves on Derrick Jones Jr.
This is what they had already done in the regular season, and this strategy helps prevent their pivot from being targeted. If he asks his pivots for a screen, Luka Doncic therefore finds himself facing a winger who can simply “switch”. And if he wants to attack the opposing center, it's Derrick Jones Jr. who rolls towards the circle, and who can be controlled much better because, despite his relaxation, he is not a scary threat in the alley-oop.
A strategy, associated with others, which clearly aims to deprive Luka Doncic of his two favorite passing solutions, namely for the alley-oop and towards the corners. Even if it means leaving 3-pointers open in the axis of the basket, which PJ Washington failed to take advantage of. A strategy that worked in Game 1 since Dallas did not obtain any alley-oops, and only put one shot in the corner… in the last minute of the game.
Now we'll see how Jason Kidd and his staff will reactivate their pivots…
