The Dallas Mavericks bounced back against the Miami Heat on Thursday night by virtue of a team-wide defensive effort, as Dallas badly needed to show some grit on that end after allowing over 120 points or more in six consecutive games.

The Mavericks lost five of those six contests, severely derailing the momentum that they gained amidst their seven-game winning streak. This can be attributed to a variety of reasons, but coaching, poor defense, and questionable lineups are at the forefront of Dallas’ most prevalent issues. The additions of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford at the trade deadline for the Mavericks prompted a lot of parity in the takes coming from major sports outlets in regard to Dallas’ moves.

If one thing is certain though, it’s that Gafford and Washington have made a huge impact on the defensive end for Dallas since they joined the team despite the Mavericks’ overall defensive shortcomings as a squad.

However, the Mavericks still couldn’t escape criticism from Bleacher Report in their recent re-grade of the 2024 NBA trade deadline, as Bleacher Report gave the Mavericks a grade of D for their acquisition of P.J. Washington at the trade deadline. Dan Favale, who wrote the article, cited Dallas’ shortcomings from a defensive perspective as well as flawed lineups and defensive rotations instilled from Kidd as the reason that the Mavericks received a grade of D for the Washington move.

Favale even said Washington wasn’t directly responsible for any of Dallas’ shortcomings, and blamed Kidd for not instilling Washington into more direct offensive actions. While everything Favale said is true, he contradicts himself by giving the Mavericks such a low grade for the trade when he acknowledges that Washington hasn’t been the issue for Dallas’ issues as of late.

Washington is coming along more on offense for the Mavericks in the last few games after a rough start offensively, so hopefully he can continue to get even more acclaimed into Dallas’ system on both sides of the ball ahead of the playoffs, as he and the Mavericks desperately need to continue forward with the momentum that they gained in the game against the Heat on Thursday.

For more on P.J. Washington and the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the playoffs, stay tuned as we’ll have you covered.