By Bryan Gutierrez, Mavs.com
It’s all about defense for Roddy Beaubois

DALLAS — Things change because situations dictate adaptation. Based on potential and glimpses of greatness, Roddy Beaubois has been seen as a piece that could totally redefine the Mavericks on the offensive end of the floor. That idea still remains, but Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle believes that it all begins on the defensive end of the floor. “The way you can tell how much he’s into it is where he is defensively,” Carlisle said. “If he’s just dropping back and waiting for the guy to come at him, he’s not going to be as effective. If he’s engaged, he’s a different player.”

The mood has definitely changed on the approach towards the third-year guard. Beaubois has been through quite the spectrum of highs and lows over the course of his career. He was originally seen as a project guard out of France, one that actually showed flashes of greatness during his rookie season. On March 27, 2010, he scored a career-high 40 points and broke a rookie record by shooting 9-of-11 from the three-point line against the Golden State Warriors. There was also his 16-point performance off the bench against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of the opening round of the 2010 Playoffs. In his rookie season, Beaubois became the first rookie in NBA history to shoot at least 50 percent from the floor, 40 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line. Things were looking bright for the guard.

Bad news eventually arrived as he broke his left foot during the offseason. As time started to drag on, the expectations were set incredibly high as Beaubois returned, based on his ability to provide the team with a strong running mate with Dirk Nowitzki.  The ‘Free Roddy B’ movement was in full swing as everyone wanted to see Beaubois have a chance to shine. Coach Carlisle, Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban tried tempering expectations as much as possible, but Beaubois’ hope and potential made it to where the media and fan-base set the bar high upon his return. The guard showed some flashes during the later part of the regular season, but it was too much of a challenge for Beaubois to catch up with the team that had already been together for several months. Beaubois was essentially jumping onto a moving train while trying to get his legs back under him.

Offense was seen as the spark that Beaubois could provide. Now, Carlisle wants to change the direction and there’s a clear role that the guard needs to accept. “What we need is Roddy the competitor and what you guys love is Roddy the entertainer,” Carlisle stated. “And look, what wins is Roddy the competitor. He’s made strides. His motor is something that, his general sort of nature is he is very nice kid, he is a laid-back kid, but you can’t be nice and laid back when you’re playing in the NBA.” Carlisle and the coaching staff understand that the entertaining style of Roddy’s game won’t be able to be sustained over the long haul and provide a beneficial result to the team.

One thing that can separate a laid-back person’s overall personality is their general level of toughness. That is another part of Beaubois’ progression that has radically changed. Going back to his first real action as a Maveick, during the Summer League in Las Vegas, Beaubois was pushed around quite often. Carlisle took an extreme stance on establishing how much of a beating Beaubois took very early in his career and how that wore him down. “In his first year, you would have needed a spatula to get him off the ground,” Carlisle said. “Honestly, he fell in a heap every time he got touched. He took a lot of heat from his teammates, he took a lot of heat from the coaches, and he’s raised his level of toughness quantum over that period of time.’’

There has been a learning curve that has been necessary for Beaubois to go through. He has had to deal with a totally different kind of athlete while playing NBA basketball. There might be players like Ian Mahinmi he has seen in France, but the athleticism and strength in the NBA can be a radical adjustment for any player that has started their basketball maturation overseas.

The competitiveness Carlisle wants to see needs to be initiated on the defensive end of the floor. With defense, it starts with the basics – like the standard defensive stance. “If you’re going to make gambling-type plays to try to take advantage of your quickness, I’m OK with that,” Carlisle said. “But be in a stance and be in the proper position first to put yourself in position to make that kind of play. Don’t just be running off half-cocked out there trying to steal every ball and causing chain reactions defensively. That’s a recipe for losing. And it’s everybody. It’s not just Roddy.” The proper stance allows him to be proactive and make a play on the ball. With sound techniques, fewer fouls will be called due to the body being in the right spot. If anything, a charge could be called based on the fact the player will have to go through you if they want to push the ball off the dribble.

The idea is that if Roddy can bring the energy on defense, his speed and dynamic inside-outside game can be utilized better on offense within a transition or flow game. Everyone is willing to wait to see the eventual results on the offensive end of the floor. The focus is completely set on the defensive end of the floor now. There have been plenty of conversations on the court and in the locker room between Carlisle and Beaubois. The guard understands what his coach is asking of him. “[Coach Carlisle’s] told me that he wants me to be very aggressive, especially on defense,” Beaubois said. “I just need to bring my energy on defense.”

An example of Beaubois’ development in the toughness department came during the game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. Suns guard Sebastian Telfair took an aggressive swipe at Beaubois’ head on a fastbreak attempt. Telfair was assessed a flagrant foul and subsequently ejected from the game. Beaubois proceeded to pick himself off the floor and hit the free throws. Roddy might not have been able to bounce back from that hit in the past. But, now that he’s taken on the challenge to be tougher, that situation wasn’t anything more than a hard foul. Beaubois acknowledges that he feels his coach is correct in assessing that he’s gotten tougher. “I think it’s true, for sure,” Beaubois said. “I think I’ve gotten tougher and I can take more contact now, so it’s good.”

Beaubois only tallied four points, shooting 0-of-5 from the floor in the 93-87 victory against the Suns. Carlise, however, was not discouraged. “I liked Roddy [Monday night],’’ Carlisle said. “Nights like [Monday] where maybe the shots aren’t going in and there is a couple of uncharacteristic offensive mistakes, he stayed into the game mentally and he was in a stance and he was a positive factor for us.

“Look, he’s a smart guy. He understands that if you crumble every time you get hit, they’re going to keep hitting you in this league, and it’s going to be harder and harder to get back up. He gets hit now, he pops back up and boom, he’s ready to go again, and it wasn’t always that way.’’

That level of intelligence Roddy possesses is something that Carlisle truly appreciates. The coach has stated that Beaubois is knowledgeable on what’s going on for both ends of the floor, taking different positions into account. Quizzes are usually given out to the younger players on the roster after shootarounds. Carlisle let it be known that Beaubois is a player that consistent scores 100 on those quizzes.

So the stat line might not have fit to most people’s liking, but it was a game that was a good one in the eye of the coach. It was good based on the fact that Carlisle said what he’s wanted to see out of the guard. “[Beaubois] showed toughness and resolve,” Carlisle said after the Suns game. “He continued to concentrate. He’s more and more coming to the realization that his game is predicated on the defensive end first. That’s what going to bring us success this year.”

Beaubois has done well in terms of defensive statistics. Those stats show that Beaubois has stepped up on the defensive end, particularly with his perimeter defense. Opponents shoot on 26.14 percent on three-point shots when Beaubois is out on the floor. Opponents are forced to shoot slightly more three-point shots than usual – 20.25 per 100 possessions, average 19.11. With that evidence, it could be said that the defense with Beaubois on the floor forces their opponents into tougher shots.

Pick and roll defense is another area of improvement for the young guard. According to SynergySports, Beaubois is ranked 16th in the league by allowing only 0.66 points per possession off pick and rolls.

104 guards have played a minimum of 200 minutes at this point of the season. Out of those guards, Beaubois ranks third in rebounding percentage (9.73 percent), first in steals/100 possessions (4.33) and third in blocks/100 possessions (1.83).

Over a short period of time, Beaubois’ level of competitiveness has gotten better. The focus is no longer set on the offensive end of the floor, and the barometer is clear for everyone. “It’s all about how engaged he is when he’s on the court,” Carlisle said of Beaubois. “He’s doing much better that last couple of weeks.

“He’s very important to us. With our team, constituted the way it is, we need him. His development is so important.” The task has been set by Carlisle for Beaubois. It’s now up to electric guard to put it all together and bring that new dynamic to the team. “That’s a challenge for me,” Beaubois said. “I’ll take it.”

Janosch Ferda contributed to this report.

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Note: The Mavericks return to action in the second matchup of a four-game homestand Wednesday night when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves with a championship ring ceremony before the game. The Timberwolves-Mavericks game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-6287.

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