Davis Bertans looked like the ideal shooter to sit next to Luka Doncic.
During the 2019-20 season, Bertans averaged only 29.3 minutes per game, shot 42.4 percent from 3-point range and averaged 8.7 3-point attempts per game. He seemed like a 6-foot-10 Stephen Curry. In fact, Bertans is the only player other than Curry who can average more than 8.5 3-pointers per game in 50 or more games while still shooting more than 42 percent from the field. His offense is exactly what former Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle wanted Kristaps Porzingis to be.
Some optimists say that if Bertans is paired next to Doncic, Bertans will be able to show unprecedented destructive power on offense, but unfortunately, Bertans’ shooting this season has not been as accurate as mentioned above. The basketball gods are clearly jealous of the Latvian player, who has suffered from numerous injuries that have made it difficult for him to regain his precise three-point shooting ability in the game.
Bertans is at career lows in all stats, including: field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, points, rebounds, assists and steals, and his averages have dropped to 5.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 35.1% Shooting from the field and 31.9 percent from beyond the arc.
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biggest doubt
Can Bertans stay healthy? While the Mavericks’ head trainer, Casey Smith, can’t work wonders with Porzingis, he’s still one of the most respected trainers in the NBA, and if Smith can help Bertans get to a certain level, he can play 20 minutes per game. Above and contribute, it would be a little surprise.
On the other hand, once Bertans is on the court, his biggest challenge will be adjusting to Jason Kidd’s defensive system, which requires big men who are mobile and can defend the paint. Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber are the right players for this system. Both have amazing running ability, which is one of the key factors in why the Mavericks have maintained their defensive efficiency this season.
Bertans doesn’t seem to fit the bill, though, making it difficult for him to fit into the team’s system, which is one of the main reasons why the Mavericks have largely avoided Boban Marjanovic as a rotation this season.
best case
Bertans might be the 2011 version of Peja Stojakovic this season. The fact that Bertans has had an incredible free throw percentage this season (28 of 30 from the line this season) means he still has a good shooting touch, he just lacks the space the team creates for him and passes. The ball gave him the shot, and he clearly joined the right team.
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Stojakovic was a seasoned shooter when he joined the Mavericks, and while he mightn’t contribute much on the defensive end, he still had the shooting ability to punish opponents on offense. In the first two playoff rounds of the season, he averaged 23.6 minutes per game, averaging 9.5 points and 41.9 percent from three.
In the series once morest the Los Angeles Lakers, he improved his outside shooting by a notch, averaging 12.5 points per game on 52.4% of his three-pointers.
Maybe Bertans won’t be that shining star, but a shooter with a size advantage definitely has a chance to change the course of the game in the regular season or the playoffs, and when the game is deadlocked, a few key three. A goal can take the game away.
worst case
Bertans became a later version of JJ Redick (JJ Redick at the end of his career). On the trade deadline of last season, the Mavericks traded for shooter JJ Redick. Although he has excellent shooting ability, he was limited by injuries. After transferring to the Mavericks, he only played 147 minutes, of which he might pay 39.5%. Three-point shooting, and he has no way to contribute in the playoffs. If Bertans becomes the Mavericks version of JJ Redick before his contract expires, that would be the worst-case scenario for Bertans.
If Bertans does develop the way JJ Redick did last season, the Mavericks may need a first-round pick to trade him for future cap space.
Summarize
Bertans is a shooter with a height advantage, and if he can play with Doncic, the former will definitely benefit a lot. Doncic is arguably the best in the league in creating teammates’ 3-point gap.
Doncic has room to cut into the paint and take points if opposing teams expand their defenses to prevent Bertans from having room to shoot 3-pointers. But fans should not have excessive expectations for Bertans, because the Mavericks may just see him as a transition player. His main value may be to make future team operations more flexible. After all, his salary is only Porzingis’s Only half.
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【Contributing Editor Lin Yiting / Responsible Editor Xie Yiqian】
This article compiles reference:What to expect from Davis Bertans
