Dusty May Explains Mavericks’ Improvement in Three-Point Defense

Zaccharie Risacher’s Defensive Impact

Through six games, Zaccharie Risacher is averaging 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks in 29.5 minutes. His 22 combined steals and blocks rank second in the NBA behind San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama.

The staff trusts Risacher’s decision-making enough to let him take risks and clean up teammates’ mistakes.

“He’s got great instincts, his motor, his conditioning. He came in this summer, the first day he came for workouts, he was in really good physical condition. So that’s a big part of it,” May said. “He’s one of the fastest guys in the league. He’s using his speed wisely now, making plays all over the floor, running in transition. But his activity, and we trust his decision-making to get out and take some risks and go erase some mistakes that his teammates have made.”

Earlier in the week, May said Risacher can play five hard minutes, come to the bench, and not be breathing heavily.

“I’m sure DNA is a percentage of it, but also his offseason work,” May said. “I think he’s just a guy that never gets out of shape, so he’s never fighting to get back in.”

Dusty May On Offense And Marcus Sasser’s Minutes

Dallas is averaging 114.3 points per game, 15th in the NBA. Its offensive rating of 114.5 ranks 12th. May said the Mavericks have worked to use the attention their star players draw.

“I think guys have been timely whenever they’ve attacked. We’ve been less likely to take a marginal shot on the first pass,” May said. “We’ve worked to use the leverage of our star players. And those guys are incredibly unselfish, so it’s wise to use the tension they’re generating and garnering to get us good looks, and that’s part of us growing as a group, how to use how we’re being defended in our favor.”

“More than anything else, we’ve been very efficient with our two-for-one, so we’ve been able to steal some baskets,” May continued. “We’re getting a little bit better getting to the line. We still have a ways to go. And we haven’t turned it over at the same rate, even though we’re still a high-turnover team. So I think it’s just a little bit of everything in incremental gains.”

Marcus Sasser has appeared in all six games off the bench, averaging 7.5 points in 19.0 minutes while shooting 42.9% from 3-point range. He played sparingly Friday, when May rode Caleb Martin instead.

“Sass is playing good ball. I hate it. He only got seven or eight minutes last game because some other guys were playing well,” May said. “But that’s kind of how our team’s built, where each game these guys are about winning, and it’s going to be somebody different that’s going to step up every night. Last game it was Caleb Martin. Next game it’ll be fill in the blank.”

“Hopefully it doesn’t matter to our guys, because of our team identity, because of these guys being such a close group and consumed with winning, that they understand that we’re going to go with whoever’s playing well that particular day and trusting the decisions we make are what’s best for the team,” May added.

Martin is shooting 63.6% from the field and 57.1% from 3-point range in two games since returning from a right thumb sprain.

Dallas hosts the Sacramento Kings on Monday. Tip-off is 7 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center, and the game airs on KFAA and MavsTV+.