Jason Kidd likes to describe his two best players in football terms. To the Dallas Mavericks coach, Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving are “quarterbacks.”
With both signal callers missing time over the past two weeks, Dallas’ offense was struggling. The Mavericks were averaging 105.9 points per 100 possessions post-Christmas, the fourth-worst mark in the NBA.
On Tuesday, the Mavericks finally had a strong scoring performance without their QBs in the lineup. They shot 52.3 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from 3 in a 118-97 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kyrie Irving out at least 1-2 weeks with bulging disc in his back
Dallas knocked down 18 3-pointers and ended a five-game losing streak, its longest since Kidd took over as coach in 2021.
“A lot of people touched the ball,” Kidd said. “We didn’t settle. The offense was really good.”
In Monday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Kidd started Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson, Maxi Kleber, P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II. Kidd adjusted Tuesday, choosing to swap Spencer Dinwiddie in Kleber’s place. The addition of an extra ballhandler allowed Dallas to put more pressure on the defense.
Dončić out at least one month after straining calf in Christmas Day game
“We were downhill,” said Washington, who scored 22 points. “We put guys in the pick-and-roll who we wanted to put in the pick-and-roll. We got good shots.”
Lakers guard Austin Reaves and rookie wing Dalton Knecht were two of the players the Mavericks targeted. Toward the end of the first half, Thompson dragged Reaves into a screening action. Thompson popped past the 3-point arc and knocked down a shot after a pass from Dinwiddie, all part of an 11-0 Dallas run to close the half.
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Thompson was one of four Dallas players who made at least three 3-pointers. Washington hit that mark, as did third-year guard Jaden Hardy. Quentin Grimes connected on six 3-pointers, his most in a game since he became a Maverick.
Grimes finished with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. The 24-year-old Houston native is in the midst of a strong first season in Dallas. His hot shooting night against the Lakers pushed him above 40 percent from the 3 on the year.
Grimes’ catch-and-shoot ability makes him a fit next to Dallas’ superstars. But over the past week, he has shown he is capable of producing even when Dončić and Irving aren’t spoon-feeding him open looks. He scored 26 points in last week’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers — 20 of those coming in the third quarter alone.
Grimes’ shot making off the dribble gives him an extra dimension compared to the typical 3-and-D role player. This season, he is actually shooting better on pull-up 3s (44.4 percent) than on catch-and-shoot 3s (37.3 percent). Three of the triples he made against the Lakers were off the bounce.
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“In high school, I was primarily (point guard),” Grimes said. “At U of H (University of Houston), (I was) the primary ballhandler. I’m definitely comfortable with whatever. I know with Luka and Kyrie, I can space out the court. It makes it easy for me to drive and play off closeouts. … I’m going to do whatever to help the team win.”
In June, the Mavericks sent Tim Hardaway Jr. and three second-round picks to the Detroit Pistons to acquire Grimes. The Mavericks didn’t work out a contract extension with Grimes before the season started, which means he is headed for restricted free agency this summer.
The four-year, $54 million deal Corey Kispert signed with the Washington Wizards the day before the start of the regular season is one useful comparison for what Grimes could command. Kispert was taken 10 spots ahead of Grimes in the 2021 draft. Kispert has shot 38.3 percent from 3 on 5.2 attempts per game for his career. Those are near-identical numbers to what Grimes has posted (37.6 percent on 4.9 attempts).
Grimes is a clean fit next to high-usage players like Dončić and Irving. There are also signs he can scale up in his role. He produced nearly half of Dallas’ 50 bench points Tuesday, which also was his third consecutive game with six assists.
“It’s just a big opportunity for me, knowing we aren’t going to have Luka for a while,” Grimes said. “And then, Kyrie is out. I know I’m going to have an opportunity offensively to make plays for myself, make plays for my teammates.”
Dallas’ win meant it climbed back into fifth place in the Western Conference. The Mavericks have 12 more games in January. It’s possible Dončić doesn’t play in any of them. Even if Irving can come back quickly from his injury, the Mavericks will need other players to step up and be offensive creators.
Grimes is one of those players capable of doing that.
“Having two superstars out, it definitely gives me more opportunity to be aggressive,” Grimes said.
(Top photo: Kevin Jairaj / Imagn Images)
