Defense was the Dallas Mavericks' primary emphasis this off-season, but they also wanted to upgrade their perimeter shooting.
The Mavs were among the league's most efficient offensive teams last season, ranking fifth according to basketball-reference.com's calculations. If they are an average 3-point-shooting team, the Mavs could easily move into the offensive elite. They shot 35 percent from long distance last season, worse than all but five teams.
The Mavs addressed their need for perimeter shooting by signing veteran forward/center Tim Thomas (36.9 percent from 3-point range in his career). It certainly would help if they could get a certain German big guy back in a groove from beyond the arc.
Dirk Nowitzki's long-range marksmanship was a big part of him making his mark in the league. This is a 7-footer who won a 3-point shootout title in 2006 and has knocked down more than 1,000 treys in his career.
But Dirk hasn't been an elite long-distance shooter since shooting a career-best 41.6 percent in 2006-07. His 3-point percentage has dropped to 35.9 in each of the last two seasons, which has dragged down his career percentage to .378.
Dirk is determined not to force bad shots, but he's optimistic that the Mavs' souped-up starting lineup will create better looks for him behind the 3-point line. With gazelles Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden joining Dirk in the frontcourt, the Mavs plan to play as a faster pace.
"For me, transition 3s are the best, because you kind of walk right into them," Dirk said. "You have a rhythm to it. Sometimes spot-up 3s are not as easy, because you don't have a great rhythm. I like transition 3s the best, and hopefully with Marion running the court and getting some lobs, that's going open the 3-point line up a little bit."
The addition of Marion could also help create better long-range looks for Dirk in the halfcourt sets. The Mavs believe Marion and Josh Howard will have mismatches against many wings that can be exploited with post-ups. Does Dirk's defender leave him to help or let the wings work one-on-one?
"It's either going to open things up for him or it's going to open things up for them," coach Rick Carlisle said. "If they're hugging him on the perimeter, there's going to be more space."
If they leave Dirk alone, he'll knock down 3s in bunches, just like the old days.