Coming off one of their worst playoff losses in franchise history, the Dallas Mavericks evened their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. It took an officials review to seal the deal for Big D, but a win's a win.
One of the most intriguing storylines of Game 2 was rookie Justin Anderson, who filled up the stat sheet in 14 good minutes (6 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl) while coming up with a game-saving block on Kevin Durant. Anderson was a catalyst in the Mavs' late-season push to make the playoffs, but he's been coming off the bench so far this postseason.
Should head coach Rick Carlisle, who has developed a reputation for sitting rookies more than he should during his career, go back to Anderson in the starting five?
The simple answer is yes, but it's not just because of the shooting guard's strong play of late. As Mavs Moneyball breaks down, the best way to maximize Anderson's minutes is to place him in lineups where he and Dallas can succeed. That would be alongside Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews to start, before having the rookie sub in for Matthews in the later stages of the game.
A worst-case scenario for the Mavs would be another slow start like they suffered in Game 1. The energy and versatility of Anderson would help the game get off to a fast start, while giving up a little less size on the defensive end.
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