Poulakidas Gives May More to Praise Than Four Made Threes

Dusty May had something specific to praise about John Poulakidas after Dallas’ 101-97 preseason loss to New Orleans. The four made threes were welcome. The Mavericks coach was particularly pleased with the guard getting involved around loose balls and helping create extra possessions.

That is a more durable way for a reserve shooter to stay involved. A jump shot only helps when the offense finds its owner; a loose ball offers another invitation.

Poulakidas finished with 16 points in 26 minutes, converting four of eight attempts from deep and adding two free throws and a late five-foot pull-up. His first 3 of the final quarter came from 23 feet, with Zaccharie Risacher providing the assist while Dallas trailed 77-66.

It did not change the outcome, but it helped launch a more competitive closing stretch after New Orleans had carried a 12-point edge into the period.

Dallas scored 34 points in the last quarter and brought the margin down to one possession near the finish. Poulakidas helped make that possible, sinking both free throws with 3:06 remaining to cut the deficit to six. With 8.9 seconds left, his pull-up made it 100-97 before the Pelicans settled the game at the foul line.

That sequence puts the shooting performance in its proper place. Poulakidas was productive, but he was not an antidote for everything that troubled Dallas. The Mavericks never led after the opening minutes, and their attempted comeback had to climb over a pile of preventable mistakes.

Dallas gave the ball away 27 times, and New Orleans turned those possessions into 27 points. The Pelicans also collected 14 steals, applying pressure that made Dallas’ ballhandling uncomfortable long before the fourth quarter. Sergio de Larrea spent 30 minutes directing the offense and supplied 10 points and six assists, yet five turnovers showed the price of that responsibility against active defenders.

The rookie guard was asked to organize a young lineup; New Orleans made every loose decision expensive.

Coach Dusty May connected the sloppiness to illegal screens, limited offensive variety and drives made worse by poor spacing. He also credited New Orleans’ physical approach with speeding Dallas up. That diagnosis carries more weight than simply pointing at the ugly perimeter percentage. Missed shots make an offense look stale. Lost possessions let the opponent punish the problem immediately.

Poulakidas was part of the turnover trouble, committing three, including an offensive-foul turnover early in the second quarter and another with 2:45 left in the fourth. That blemish matters in a four-point game, particularly for a player trying to establish value in limited opportunities. Four made threes can brighten an evaluation; they cannot erase every possession that went the wrong way.

May’s strongest praise, however, concerned what Poulakidas did away from his shot. The coach highlighted the guard’s work around loose balls in the second half, noting that Poulakidas got into the action several times and helped Dallas gain extra possessions. That detail gives the performance its shape.

A reserve shooter can disappear when the ball moves elsewhere, when a closeout removes the clean look or when the offense loses its spacing. Pursuing a loose ball creates another route into the game. It also explains why May’s praise sounded more specific than a routine compliment for a player who happened to make half his 3-point attempts.

Poulakidas was useful when Dallas’ offense was functioning, then tried to remain useful when it was not.

Poulakidas was operating in an unusual Dallas lineup. Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving rested, several others were unavailable, and the team had only recently returned from the China Games after flying for 18 hours. The bench supplied 70 points against the starters’ 27. Those circumstances expanded the opportunity, but the work May praised was specific to how Poulakidas used it.

Making an open three is the obvious way for Poulakidas to help. Wednesday also gave his coach a reason to remember him when a possession had broken down and the shot was somebody else’s. That second route into the game will remain useful on nights when his jumper receives fewer invitations.

Sources

ESPN: box score and play-by-play

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