Sometimes it’s the place that’s the problem, not the person.
This could be the case for newly-acquired Dallas Mavericks forward Davis Bertans, as he spent two-and-a-half seasons with the up-and-down Washington Wizards. While the Wizards did make the playoffs last season, they experienced quite the competitive drop this year after initially jumping out to a 13-7 start to the 2021-2022 campaign.
In his introductory press conference, Bertans spoke with the Dallas media on his time in Washington, and while doing so, exposed some of his former team’s issues.
“It’s tough to have team chemistry when every single day, the team is basically fighting with each other about ‘I want to get more minutes’ and ‘I want a bigger role,’” Bertans candidly stated.
Earlier this season, Kentaviouis Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell, who was traded to the Charlotte Hornets at the trade deadline, had a confrontation that led to teammates holding them back from each other. If that’s what was happening in the public eye, one can only imagine what was happening behind closed doors of the locker room.
Although Bertans is on the verge of having the worst season of his six-year career, the Mavs, at the very least, shouldn’t have to worry about any misconduct issues with him going forward given his track record.
The Mavs’ hope for Bertans is that inserting him with an elite creator in Luka Doncic could possibly be the cure for his low shooting percentages and overall mental state based on what he experienced in Washington this season.
Bertans, 29, is currently shooting 31 percent from the three-point line. For a guy who has shot 40 percent from deep for his career, this season certainly seems to be an outlier.
If all goes well, the former Wizard will likely play vs. the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. Although nothing is set in stone, especially in the ever-changing NBA, many open corner threes could be in his Mavs future.
