Mavericks 130, Wizards 117
Q. Your team had made progress defensively its prior four games. Tonight seemed like it regressed. What did you see out there, and were you satisfied with the effort?
WES UNSELD JR.: I thought that first quarter were weren't -- I didn't think we approached it the right way in terms of more coverage confusion, some communication, some transition. Obviously missed a lot of -- looking back, I think pretty good looks, particularly from three. Landry, Corey, JP, your pretty good shooters, a lot of those turn into run-outs, so that affects, of course, your transition defense, your overall defense.
At times I think we did some good things, and forced them to make some tough shots over contest. We can live with some of that.
But that first quarter, the pace at which they played was unique for them. They got up and down.
Q. What did you think about the time that Bilal spent guarding Luka?
WES UNSELD JR.: He got him lifted early and picked up the foul, and that's going to happen. It's just having the discipline to stay down. He's a heck of a player. He sells it. He gets everybody. That's a learning experience. You have to figure out how to be disciplined, to be the second jumper, show your hands. He's a master at breaking through and drawing fouls and free throws.
So it's an experience for him. I think he had some good moments and then some moments where maybe the youth came shining through.
Q. What have you made of the offensive start to the season that JP has had?
WES UNSELD JR.: Not a ton. I think it's going to take some time to get a rhythm. I've said this before, it's a new space for him. He's one if not two on the scouting report. He's seeing a little bit more attention than he's probably normally used to. That takes an adjustment.
Q. Are you generally happy with the shot selection?
WES UNSELD JR.: Ours?
Q. With Jordan Poole's.
WES UNSELD JR.: In general, yeah. I think he's going to stay aggressive. He's going to take some shots. I think volume guys are going to take some heat checks. That's natural.
But I'd like to continue to see him play downhill, and he's not getting the benefit of the whistle. He's going to have some nights like that. But he's done a great job throughout his career of drawing fouls, getting to the free-throw line.
That balance of attacking, getting downhill, and once he gets it going, we know we've seen it, he's capable of filling it up. Some of it's just a rhythm.
Q. Overall I know the season is not about wins and losses but growth. Where do you see growth in a night like this?
WES UNSELD JR.: For certain stretches, yeah, there was some growth. I thought we did some good things. You look at quarters two, three and four, we were plus 2, so the first quarter is kind of what did us in. That's not a silver lining. Those are the numbers. The fact that we were able to compete and kind of claw our way back into it, and the differential was done. But I thought we did some good things in quarters two, three and four.
Q. When you're talking about Jordan, I feel like you can see with your eyes where he is adjusting and learning to that, but his numbers are actually pretty kind of standard for what they've been throughout his career. What does success from him look like? Are you hoping to see him increase his numbers or can you give me the metric?
WES UNSELD JR.: I think more just the overall efficiency. He's going to score, and for a guy who works incessantly on his shot, you want it for him because he puts in so much time. It'll happen. I think it's just more once he gets a rhythm, gets one game under him, sees the ball go in at a high clip, I think that'll open things up for him.
Q. There have been moments of individual good man defense. What do you feel like isn't translating to the team defense aspect?
WES UNSELD JR.: Well, some of it is the one-on-one piece. To your point, sometimes it's good. We're not always in the right spot at the right time off the ball, which leads to certain things.
Tonight I think transition was a bit of an issue and some of the offensive rebounding. Not a ton, but they capitalized on most of those opportunities.
Q. Are you comfortable with the amount of switches that the guys are doing defensively, and then how do you think that's impacting second-chance points?
WES UNSELD JR.: Well, I don't think that's necessarily the reason. We got punished at times in the post in other games because of those switches, but I don't think that was a problem tonight. I think once again, they're going to shoot volume threes, so long shot, long rebound, a lot of those are coming out past the free-throw line.
Q. What did you make of Bilal?
WES UNSELD JR.: Like I said, I think it was a bit of a learning experience. He's still composed and plays the right way, but that's a tall task to be out there against one of the most elite offensive weapons in the NBA.
Q. Any thoughts on how Johnny Davis played tonight and just his overall growth this season?
WES UNSELD JR.: Yeah, he hasn't seen a ton of minutes, but I think he's progressing the right way. I had a conversation with him about kind of just staying the course, and he understands opportunities will come. He's shown some bright spots through the preseason, through some early minutes early in the season. He's going to play with more confidence, so he's doing a much better job there.
Defensively I think he's taken a step forward, and just more a lack of opportunity at this point.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports