NBA: 8 players to surprise in the playoffs

Apr 18, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) shoots over Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) during the third quarter in game one of the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

7 of 9

Nov 22, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Monta Ellis (11) is fouled by Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) during the second half at the Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Mavericks 95-92. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Dallas Mavericks. Monta Ellis. 6. player. 79. . G

Monta Ellis will suffer through the worst playoff series of his career against the Houston Rockets.

Of all of the teams in the playoffs that reside in the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks are the worst equipped to win deep into the playoffs. This is almost entirely due to their lack of defensive consistency. Although they have improved lately, the team is still not prepared to beat the Houston Rockets in a seven-game series by locking the Rockets down.

The Mavs issues largely stem from their poor performance with rebounding. The Mavericks have the worst rebound differential in the NBA this season, and allow the most offensive rebounds of any team while remaining poor at best at grabbing defensive rebounds themselves.

The Mavericks opponents don’t shoot a particularly great percentage. They just get more opportunities to shoot. For the Mavericks to keep up with the Rockets, they are going to need to receive sharp offensive play from their starting lineup, and that means sharp offensive play from shooting guard Monta Ellis. The problem is that Ellis hasn’t been a consistent contributor this season. He certainly has given the Mavericks a primary offensive option when he performs at his best, but against the Rockets he will need to be at his peak to even give them a chance.

Ellis’ struggles in this series will be most evident on the defensive side of the ball. Hopefully the Mavericks do not force Ellis to guard MVP frontrunner James Harden too often, he just doesn;t have the length to match up with the Rockets shooting guard, but when he does match up with Harden, the latter will get to the rim early and often. Whether or not the Mavericks choose to foul Harden when he gets to the rim or if Harden is able to finish, the Mavs have quite the hill to climb when it comes to keeping up with a steady one-man offense.

It will be too much to ask for Ellis to try to keep up with Harden on the other end of the floor, and the Rockets will be forced to rely on Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons for perimeter shooting.

Next: Tony Allen

Home/NBA