26-year old guard J.J. Barea has really stepped up as of late.  In his last five games, Barea is averaging 23.0 minutes, 12.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.  He has now played in 76 games (2 starts) for the Mavericks so far this year and he is averaging 17.2 minutes, 9.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.  With Jason Kidd really slowing down the Mavericks are going to need Barea to really step up in the playoffs.

Peja Stojakovic has been banged up lately which has given 32-year old Shawn Marion more P.T. and he has made the most of it.  In his last two games, Marion is averaging 32.5 minutes, 23.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal and 1.0 blocked shot per game.  He has now played in 65 games (15 starts) for the Mavericks so far this year and he is averaging 27.8 minutes, 11.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game on 50.7% shooting from the floor.  The Mavericks need Marion to keep up the good work because Stojakovic can’t be counted on due to his balky knee.

33-year old shooting guard Jason Terry has been excellent as of late.  In his last five games, Terry is averaging 29.8 minutes, 21.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.  He is shooting 56.8% from the floor and 52.9% from three point range in his last five games, so he’s officially on fire offensively.  Terry has now played in 61 games (10 starts) for the Mavericks this season and he is averaging 32.0 minutes, 16.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steal per game.  Terry is probably the second best offensive player on the Mavericks so they need him to finish strongly.

33-year old small forward Peja Stojakovic and 23-year old shooting guard Rodrigue Beaubois are off to nice starts this year with the Mavericks.  Stojakovic has played in 7 games (all starts) since signing as a free agent with the Mavs and he is averaging 21.0 minutes, 10.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  He is also shooting pretty well this year, hitting 47.5% of his shots from the floor, 39.4% of his shots from 3-point range and 87.5% from the free throw line.  With Caron Butler down for the season, Stojakovic will keep starting at small forward for the Mavericks as long as he is playing well.   Rodrigue Beaubois started late this season due to injury but he has already bumped DeShawn Stevenson to the bench.  Beaubois has played in 3 games (2 starts) for the Mavs so far this year and he is averaging 21.0 minutes, 10.7 points, 0.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  Look for Beaubois to run with his new starting gig.  Stojakovic & Beaubois give the Mavericks more firepower on offense and that’s a good thing going forward.

26-year old guard Jose Juan Barea is getting hot for the Mavericks so far this month.  Barea has played in 4 games so far in February and he is averaging 25.8 minutes, 14.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.  He has played in 51 games (2 starts) overall this year and he is averaging 20.5 minutes, 8.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.  With Jason Kidd starting to look his age all of a sudden, look for Barea to keep getting a lot of minutes going forward and they need him to keep up the good work.

24-year old center Ian Mahinmi is starting to heat up for the Dallas Mavericks.  In his last three games, Mahinmi is averaging 16.3 minutes, 9.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.  He is 9 for 9 shooting from the floor and he’s 11 of 12 from the free throw line in those three games.  It looks to me as if the Mavericks are showcasing Mahinmi for a deal.  He has played in 25 games (0 starts) for the Mavericks this year and he is averaging 6.4 minutes, 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.  He is shooting 62.2% from the floor and 87.2% from the free throw line this year.  Mahinmi appears to have passes Brendan Haywood on the depth chart, which could lead to one of them being dealt soon.

26-year old shooting guard Jose Juan Barea is stepping up for the Dallas Mavericks.  Barea has gotten more P.T. as of late due to the injuries the Mavericks have suffered and he’s making the most of it.  In his last three games, Barea is averaging 26.0 minutes, 14.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.  Barea has now played in 34 games (0 starts) for the Mavericks so far this year and he is averaging 19.7 minutes, 7.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.  I see him continuing to get solid minutes while the Mavs are short handed.

31-year old center Brendan Haywood is now #2 on the depth chart behind Tyson Chandler but he’s making the most of the few minutes he’s getting.  Haywood has played in 27 games (1 start) for the Mavericks so far this year and he is averaging 19.0 minutes, 4.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.1 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game.  Haywood is shooting 61.3% from the floor this season but only 50% from the free throw line so far this year.  That’s because most of his shots from the floor are dunks and putbacks.

29-year old shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson was nothing more than a throw in last season in the deal that brought in Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler from the Wizards.  This year though, Stevenson has worked his way into the starting lineup for the Mavericks despite not getting big minutes.  Stevenson has played in 18 games (16 starts) so far this year for the Mavericks and he is averaging 13.1 minutes, 4.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Stevenson is also shooting well from everywhere on the floor so far this year as he is hitting 45.9% from the floor, 51.1% from the three point line and 77.8% from the free throw line.  Stevenson has finally turned into a small asset for the Mavericks and they hope he keeps up the good work.

32-year old forward Shawn Marion has really adjusted well to his new role coming off the bench.  Marion has played in 17 games (3 starts) for the Mavericks so far this year and he is averaging 26.0 minutes, 10.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  Marion has shot 51.9% from the floor this year as he has been really outstanding offensively this year for the Mavericks.  The Mavericks hope he keeps up the good work.