The Dallas Mavericks' rotation just keeps getting thinner, and the season has only been going on for a little over two weeks.
Dereck Lively II went down with a shoulder sprain in pregame warmups before Dallas' game against the Indiana Pacers, and Lively II joined Dante Exum and Maxi Kleber as the role players who are out due to injury. Kleber is out with a hamstring injury and Exum is out after getting wrist surgery, and Dallas is missing both of those guys right now.
The Mavs' struggles at guard off the bench would be helped if Exum was available to play, and Kleber's versatility has been missed as well. Being without three of the Mavs' top role players is not ideal, and one of Dallas' starters joined this list of injured players.
Washington's injury sends Mavs' frontcourt depth to extremely low levels
According to the NBA's official injury report, P.J. Washington will miss Dallas' game against the Chicago Bulls tomorrow due to a right knee sprain. There aren't any details at this time about how or when Washington injured his knee, but losing Washington at this time is not ideal. There were no reports about Washington getting hurt during Monday night's loss to Indiana, and his injury is going to sting if he misses multiple games.
Washington has been elite defensively for the Mavs all season long, and regardless of his offensive struggles, he is a key piece to the Mavs and what they do. He has started every game this season at the four, and he has been the best perimeter defender on the team.
Multiple times this season, Jason Kidd has praised Washington's defense during his postgame press conferences, and the Mavs are going to miss his defensive presence if this knee sprain ends up being serious.
Even with Washington on the floor, Dallas got destroyed defensively against the Pacers. They allowed over 70 points in the paint, and Lively II's presence was desperately missed. Now that Washington is out, the Mavs are in an even tougher position.
Washington provides the Mavericks the most versatile defense at the power forward position on the team, and their frontcourt and power forward depth is running extremely thin after this injury. Kleber is already sidelined, and it might be time for Olivier-Maxence Prosper to finally step up and play consistent minutes. He has not been in the regular rotation so far, but Kidd could count on him to bring energy and defense if he does decide to play him.
The Mavs are going to need some size and defense if Washington does indeed miss significant time, and they are extremely limited with options to play the four. They could elect to increase Naji Marshall's minutes considering how well he is playing, but his playstyle is much more like a guard than a lengthy forward like Washington. He has been handling the ball a ton over his first seven games for Dallas, and he enters tomorrow's game against the Bulls coming off a 20-point performance.
It'll be interesting to see how Kidd decides to rearrange the minutes with Washington being out due to this unexpected injury, and someone is going to have to step up to help Dallas get back on track. Washington has been crucial defensively so far this season for Dallas, and Kidd may have to go deep into his bag when it comes to how he decides to address the Mavs' concerning situation at power forward.
They don't have much depth at this spot at all, and Mavs fans will be praying that Washington's injury doesn't keep him sidelined for long.
