Dunleavy making bold statement
 Mike Dunleavy has been the most consistently productive Pacers player in the preseason. (NBAE/Getty Images) |
Very quietly, Mike Dunleavy is making a bold statement.
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As the most consistently productive member of the team throughout the preseason, the versatile wing has made it clear he not only deserves his place in the starting lineup but a featured role in Coach Jim O'Brien's high-octane offense.
"I think it's fun to play in," Dunleavy said. "You really get an opportunity to get out in the open court and make plays, and in the halfcourt to move around and cut. If you're a guy that knows how to play the game, has some skill, can shoot the ball, it's a good system to play in. I'm just trying to knock down open shots and always keep moving."
When O'Brien designated Dunleavy a starter before the first practice of training camp, it surprised observers who anticipated challenges from a revitalized Marquis Daniels and motivated newcomer Kareem Rush. But Dunleavy has justified O'Brien's faith in a big way, averaging 15.3 points, 3.0 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 25.1 minutes through seven preseason games.
He was at his best in Tuesday's 106-95 victory over the Timberwolves with 20 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals, hitting seven-of-10 shots including all four of his 3-point attempts. Another number, however, was more illustrative to O'Brien.
"Let's put it this way: he played in a game that we won by 11 and we keep a plus-minus on every player and he had a plus-34," O'Brien said. "I don’t think any of us have ever seen a plus-34 in an 11-point ballgame. That speaks to how valuable he is to every element of what we do. He leads our team in the preseason by a large margin in plus-minus.
"That's exactly who I thought Mike Dunleavy was – exactly who I thought he was."
Always a solid all-around player, Dunleavy has been deadly from the 3-point line in the preseason, hitting 61.9 percent (13 of 21). That's a particularly encouraging sign. Dunleavy entered the league with the reputation of a deadly long-range shooter and backed it up with a .372 percentage from the arc in his first two seasons. He slipped markedly, however, to .298 over the past two seasons, including .283 in 43 games with the Pacers.
Whether it's the summer or work in the weightroom, the quality of shots in the system or the obvious confidence of his head coach, Dunleavy is back in the groove.
"When I came here last year I just kind of stopped shooting threes; it was kind of sporadic," Dunleavy said. "I really concentrated back on it again this summer and especially when coach got the job. He said we wanted to shoot a lot of threes, so I put the time in and it's paying off."
The two-year slip in accuracy remains as much a mystery to Dunleavy as to those around him who saw a shot so mechanically sound, they were surprised if he missed. The number of surprises was, well, surprising.
"I don't know what it was," he said. "It was a combination of maybe being unsure about 3-point shots. They're an interesting shot in this league but when you have a coach who believes in them so much like (O'Brien) then you know you've got to let go. Just having that comfort level makes it a little bit easier."
Having a head coach that fully believes in not only his skills but his importance to the team can't hurt. Dunleavy went through an emotional wringer in Golden State and appears to be recharged under O'Brien.
"He really stresses certain things that I think complement my game," Dunleavy said. "In terms of shooting and confidence, one of the first things he said was, 'Don't worry about missed shots; I'm never going to take a guy out of a game for missed shots. I don't care if you miss 10 in a row, just play hard.' A lot of coaches say that but he actually believes it and means it. That makes it easier."
