Mavs Draft Target Watching Jalen Brunson to Improve Defense

The national media is thinking about the Dallas Mavericks again as the NBA Finals wind to a close, and the feelings aren't those of approval.

The Mavs drafted both Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson in the 2018 NBA Draft. Neither remained with the organization, as Brunson found a home with the New York Knicks in 2022 free agency, and Doncic was dealt inexplicably to the Los Angeles Lakers last year.

Neither player had any intention of leaving Dallas, either, but now the organization is stuck with two massive blunders on a resume that an almost completely new front office hopes to improve in a hurry.

The most immediate way the Mavericks will better their roster is through the June 23 NBA Draft, where Dallas holds the No. 9 pick. Team president Masai Ujiri has shown willingness to discuss a trade involving the pick, but the widespread assumption is that the Mavs will want to pair teenage phenom Cooper Flagg with another younger player and build a two-man core.

Will they get as lucky as 2018? That's a discussion for another day.

One person to keep an eye on is former Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff Jr., who many have predicted to land in Dallas after an SEC Player of the Year campaign under John Calipari in 2025-26.

"His ability to navigate tight spaces on the court, create his own offense, and find teammates has been a major separator," ESPN's Jeremy Woo writes. "NBA teams have concerns about his defense, but it's hard to deny Acuff's ability to manufacture points. There's variance of opinion on how he stacks up long term against his peers, but Acuff is the most NBA-ready of the four guards [at the top of the draft]."

When it comes to that defense, Acuff has garnered comparisons to the Knicks' Finals MVP Brunson. They're both relatively smaller guards who are undeniable with the ball in their hands, but tend to become their teams' Achilles heel on the other end of the floor.

Brunson, of course, has the upper hand here with his knack for drawing charges. That's something Acuff was paying close attention to throughout New York's postseason run.

"I’ve been focusing on both teams, of course, but really been seeing how Jalen Brunson is navigating through the defense and stuff like that," Acuff said on "The Draymond Green Show" last week. "Obviously, as a PG myself, I’ve been paying attention to that."

Acuff averaged a healthy 23.5 points per game, along with over six assists a night for the Razorbacks. He's shown elite driving and finishing abilities despite his 6-3 frame (the 6-foot-6 wingspan helps here).

But the defense remains many analysts' critical bullet point on his scouting report. Acuff countered that negative perception by defending himself as a point guard, and only a point guard, in terms of his defensive assignments.

"You can ask any of my coaches in college, no matter how many defensive mistakes I made every night, if they tried to put me on a 2 or a 3, I'm like 'man I'm not guarding no 3, I play the point man, I'm guarding the point guard, man,' especially if it's like a matchup," Acuff said.

"...Like, if I'm not guarding you and you not guarding me, it ain't no matchup, we just hooping out here so I definitely like to guard my matchup."

This isn't necessarily the proper way to go about scouting when NBA executives are gathering reasons to (or not to) draft a player. When it comes to modern NBA defenses, most teams also prefer to have versatile pieces that won't shy away from defending multiple positions. That makes this quote a bit concerning from Acuff.

Draymond Green, a former Defensive Player of the Year, offered advice for Acuff that pushes him more in the direction of gaining rapport with a team's "defensive coordinator" and learning ways of picking spots within a defense. Because otherwise, as Green noted, opposing teams will hone in on attacking the weak link.

Ultimately, this strategy will depend on the type of team Acuff is drafted to and what his role is expected to be.

In Dallas, he'd slide in between Kyrie Irving and Flagg on the wing. Irving is by no means known for his defensive attributes, so that backcourt duo could lend the Mavs problems.

Things could also pan out where Acuff is taken before the Mavs get on the board ... or maybe Ujiri and GM Mike Schmitz make a jump to go get him.

Regardless, his stance on defense is a notable one ... even if he's taking the time to learn from a former Mavs star who turned an undersized frame into a Finals MVP.