Through five regular-season games, the Dallas Mavericks haven't been able to formulate the defensive identity Nico Harrison envisioned for this team. This is due in part to Dallas being down all three of their highest-paid big men, but this certainly isn't the sole reason for Dallas' middling defense so far, as the Mavericks' perimeter defense hasn't been up to standard in every game thus far.
It should be noted that Dallas has looked far better defensively in their past two contests, particularly on the perimeter, but head coach Jason Kidd can't make one lineup change that fans have been begging for in lieu of more shot creation, that being inserting D'Angelo Russell into the starting backcourt alongside Klay Thompson.