The Dallas Mavericks put together one of the best offenses in NBA history last season but struggled when it came to defense. Coming into the 2020-21 season, this a major point of emphasis, as Dallas brought in defensive-minded players like Josh Richardson as well as put a lot of focus on improving on that end of the court.
While is was a slow start to the season defensively for the Mavericks, they’ve currently got the seventh best defensive rating in the NBA. After their recent win over the Indiana Pacers, snapping a three-game losing streak, Rick Carlisle announced that there was a new award the team would be introducing internally.
The award will go to the player with the best defensive performance of that particular game. Additionally, this award will only be given after games in which Dallas pulls off a win. Rather than a trophy, it will be a belt that is given to the player that earns the award. In the debut game of the belt, Willie Cauley-Stein took home the hardware.
The Dallas Mavericks currently sit at 7-7 on the season and will continue to prioritize defense going forward. With their young superstar duo of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, the team’s ceiling is extremely high.
