The thin version of Doncic returns to his peak form. The Mavericks gamble on defense but have a mediocre defense&&;offensive disaster

Translator's Note: The original article was published on CBSSports. The data in the article are as of the time of publication of the original article (October 25, local time). The dates and times involved are all local time. The opinions expressed in this article have nothing to do with the translator or the platform.

Defense may win championships, but as the Mavericks discovered early this season, it's hard to win in the regular season without offense.

In the season-opening loss to the Spurs, the Mavericks' offensive efficiency value was as low as 91.1. This is the lowest offensive efficiency value of any team's opening game this season, more than 15 points lower than other teams per 100 possessions. Although they increased their score to 107 points in the second game, the strength of the opponents in the game must also be taken into consideration. How much better is scoring 107 points in a loss to the lowly Wizards than 92 points in a loss to the Spurs with Victor Vunbanyama? After these two games, the Mavericks still have zero wins.

The Mavericks' entire team building theory is based on Nick Harrison's philosophy of "defense wins championships." Their starting lineup is tall, with the shortest player being 6-foot-5-inch Klay Thompson. The wings are guarded by Cooper Flagg and P.J. Washington, both of whom would play power forward on most ordinary teams. The last two pieces of the lineup are true center Derek Lively II and center Anthony Davis, who plays the power forward position. They have handed point guard duties to rookie Flagg. Overall, the results are poor. Flagg shot 37 percent from the field and had more turnovers (eight) than assists (six).

Flagg will get better, and the main benefit of playing him at point guard isn't for the short term. As Jason Kidd proved with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, giving a taller scorer a taste of the point guard role early in his career can pay huge dividends when that player thrives at a more practical position down the road. But let's be clear: The decisions the Mavericks made over the past year were not made with the long-term in mind. After trading the then 25-year-old Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, who was 6 years older than him, Harrison once said: "For me, the future is three or four years from now."

As for Doncic, offense has not been a problem for him so far this season. He scored 92 points in two games, matching the Mavericks' total team score in their opening game loss to the Spurs. And he did it against teams that ranked No. 6 (Timberwolves) and No. 7 (Warriors) in defense last season and without LeBron James around to attract defensive attention. Coupled with a total of 23 rebounds, 17 assists and a 62% shooting percentage, this is Doncic's best individual performance to date.

This is thanks to his much-discussed weight loss. Although Doncic remained dominant during his time with the Mavericks until he was traded, he has quietly slowed down a bit, and it shows in his scoring inside. In the 2022-23 season, he averaged 13.4 points per game inside, but it dropped to 11.1 points a year later, to 9.9 points in the last half-season as a Mavericks player, and only 8.1 points in the half-season as a Lakers player. His free throw attempts per game have seen a similar decline: from 10.5 to 8.7 to 7.9 over the past three seasons. He still has the power and skill, but with less explosive first step, he has fewer ways to beat defenses.

However, in the season opener alone, he scored 26 points in the paint. He had 29 free throw attempts in two games. Suddenly, Doncic had the speed he had when he first entered the NBA, along with the years of experience and strength he had gained since then. The skinny version of Luka is the most complete form we've seen of him yet.

He even became defensive, at least to a certain extent. He's never going to be a one-man defense, and the Lakers will almost always try to match him up against easier players to protect his body. But he has at least been active. In the opener, he ranked first on the team in pass breakups and performed well when switching to the ball carrier. He'll never be able to dominate a top-level defensive team, but we're sure he can be one because the 2023-24 Mavericks reach the Finals by combining Doncic's extraordinary offense with an all-around great defensive unit.

The current Mavericks have not even been able to reach the heights of that team on the defensive end, and this is after they put all their focus on the defensive end. Although they have a lot of tall players, they don't have any point defenders on the level of Derrick Jones Jr., who was a key part of their run to the Finals and now plays for the Clippers. The offense-focused players they still rely on, like Thompson and D'Angelo Russell, contribute little on the defensive end. Russell has always been a defensive hole. Thompson wasn't like that before his injury, but now he's stuck guarding slower forwards. The Mavericks have enough players who can take on this task.

And even if the Mavericks do manage to build a top-notch defense, the offensive price they pay for it will leave them so far behind on offense that a return to the Finals will become out of reach. In Doncic's second year in the league, the 2019-20 season, he led the team to play the most efficient offense in NBA history without All-Star teammates.

Having Doncic is part of the reason why the Mavericks can shift the focus of the lineup to defense in 2024. He alone is a top-notch offensive system, so a lineup with him can devote most of the remaining resources to defense. The Lone Ranger no longer has that kind of capital. They have a defense-focused lineup that has been mediocre on defense so far and a disaster on offense.

The Mavericks will get better. Doncic's performance may decline slightly. But if the first week of the season is any indication, it's that Doncic easily prevails in this breakup drama. Defense may win championships, but the Mavericks have started the game with neither defense nor offense, and when Doncic is in the lineup, they have both.