The Dallas Mavericks have long relied on J.J. Barea as a scoring threat when on the court, and have looked past his sub-par assist numbers in return. Barea has always been a capable passer, but his willingness to get in the lane and score and the slow Mavs offense have made his assist numbers nothing to look at.
However, this season Barea has found a few more people to pass to. JJ normally averages 3.4 assists per game throughout his career. This year so far, Barea is dishing out 5.4 assists per night, good for the 2nd best average of his career and best in a Mavs uniform.