3 Areas where the Dallas Mavericks need to improve in the 2nd half of the season

The Dallas Mavericks entered the 2019-20 season hoping to contend for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference, and a first postseason appearance since 2016 already looks virtually guaranteed following a better than expected first half of the season.

As we approach the 2020 All-Star Weekend, the Mavs sit fifth in the West with a 29-18 record - and are just 2.5 games back from the Utah Jazz in the fourth seed. Much of Dallas' success is owed to the MVP-level performances of Luka Doncic - and Rick Carlisle's team are in with a realistic shot of securing homecourt advantage for a potentially tough first-round matchup in the playoffs.

Nevertheless, while they have surpassed expectations, the Mavs still have room to grow, and here we will take a look at the three areas where they need to improve in the second half of the season.

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#3 Free Throw Accuracy

Luka Doncic has struggled from the free-throw line since the turn of the year

The Mavericks are averaging 23.7 trips to the free-throw line (10th best in the NBA), although they are collectively shooting just 76.6 percent from the charity stripe. While not close to being the lowest number in the NBA, a quick look down the Mavs roster suggests that the team should also be among the top 10 teams in free-throw percentage, and management will be eager to see an improvement in the coming weeks.

While Seth Curry (88.3%) and Maxi Kleber (88.3%) have been reliable, the star duo of Doncic (76.3%) and Porzingis (73.9%) have been inconsistent. Doncic's accuracy has further plummeted to 66.7 percent this month and with the Slovenian making nine trips to the free-throw line per night - this is an area that needs sorting out as quickly as possible.

#2 Offensive Rebounds Allowed

Luka Doncic is the only Mavs player averaging more than 8 defensive rebounds per game

Averaging 11.2 offensive rebounds per game, Dallas is among the top five teams in the NBA for offensive rebounding. However, they haven't exactly crashed the boards on the defensive end, and Carlisle's team is currently giving up 11.0 defensive rebounds per contest. In the West, only Portland and the Clippers have allowed more - and with the NBA's two tallest players in Boban Marjanovic and Kristaps Porzingis - the Mavs have no excuse to be allowing so many second-chance points.

While Doncic and Porzingis have combined for 15.3 defensive rebounds per game, no other player has averaged more than four, and the Mavs need to replicate the effort that they are giving on the offensive end. The addition of Willie Cauley-Stein should also help after the center averaged 4.5 defensive rebounds in limited minutes with the Warriors earlier this season - and if the Mavs can successfully limit the number of offensive boards - their prospects of securing homecourt will drastically improve.

#1 Defensive Intensity

Rick Carlisle will be eager to see more effort from his team on the defensive end

Averaging 116.1 points per contest this season, the Mavs owe much of their success to their excellent offense. No team in the NBA is averaging more points per possession (1.17) however, Dallas has struggled throughout the year at the other end of the court. On the surface, the Mavs' 110.0 points allowed per game fails to particularly stand out, although the defense has often gone missing during key matchups against the NBA's other contending teams.

Earlier this week, the Mavs seemed on course for a huge win in Utah, however, the defense put up little resistance as the Jazz scored 32 points in the final quarter, and Royce O'Neal was left wide open to hit the game-winning shot. Unsurprisingly, only two teams in the West are managing fewer blocks per game, while the Mavs are also ranked 28th in the league for steals.

Ultimately, the Mavs are currently getting by against the worst teams, although a lack of defensive intensity is quickly becoming a problem - and Carlisle will want to see an improvement over the next 10 weeks.