The Ringer's take on that lineup and the Luka Doncic/Dennis Smith fit problem:
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/11/27/18114406/dallas-mavericks-luka-doncic-dennis-smith
"Doncic might be sacrificing more than Smith when the two play together. That became clear in the Mavs’ 113-104 victory over the Celtics on Saturday, which Smith missed with a wrist injury. His absence allowed Carlisle to go to a lineup he hasn’t used much this season: Luka at point guard with three bigger wings (Matthews, Barnes, and Dorian Finney-Smith) and one center (Jordan) around him. Dallas switched more screens on defense while hunting mismatches with Doncic in the pick-and-roll. Doncic finished with a career-high eight assists, picking apart Boston out of the post.
That was Doncic’s role last season as an 18-year-old for Real Madrid, when he was the MVP of the EuroLeague. A 6-foot-7 player with his ability to handle the ball, shoot off the dribble, and make plays on the move gives his team a lot of lineup flexibility. They can surround him with length and athleticism in bigger lineups, or play him with multiple ball handlers in smaller ones. Carlisle has been using Doncic in the latter to maximize Smith, but the former would make Doncic’s life easier, particularly on defense.
It might not be possible for the Mavs to prioritize Doncic and Smith at the same time. Doncic has a net rating of minus-5.5 in 405 minutes with Smith and plus-10.3 in 202 minutes without him. One solution that a lot of NBA teams use is staggering the minutes of their two lead ball handlers to give each time to run the offense unimpeded. The problem for Dallas is that giving Smith more time with the second unit would mean playing him next to another point guard (Barea) who needs the ball even more than Doncic. Smith and Barea were like oil and water last season, with a net rating of minus-7.7 in 395 minutes together.
The Mavs are caught in a dilemma. There’s no spot in the rotation for Smith if they play Doncic at point guard, but they can’t afford to give up on Smith, either. The long-term consequences are too high. Their cupboard is almost completely empty without him."
That was Doncic’s role last season as an 18-year-old for Real Madrid, when he was the MVP of the EuroLeague. A 6-foot-7 player with his ability to handle the ball, shoot off the dribble, and make plays on the move gives his team a lot of lineup flexibility. They can surround him with length and athleticism in bigger lineups, or play him with multiple ball handlers in smaller ones. Carlisle has been using Doncic in the latter to maximize Smith, but the former would make Doncic’s life easier, particularly on defense.
It might not be possible for the Mavs to prioritize Doncic and Smith at the same time. Doncic has a net rating of minus-5.5 in 405 minutes with Smith and plus-10.3 in 202 minutes without him. One solution that a lot of NBA teams use is staggering the minutes of their two lead ball handlers to give each time to run the offense unimpeded. The problem for Dallas is that giving Smith more time with the second unit would mean playing him next to another point guard (Barea) who needs the ball even more than Doncic. Smith and Barea were like oil and water last season, with a net rating of minus-7.7 in 395 minutes together.
The Mavs are caught in a dilemma. There’s no spot in the rotation for Smith if they play Doncic at point guard, but they can’t afford to give up on Smith, either. The long-term consequences are too high. Their cupboard is almost completely empty without him."
