Tarik Biberović is competing for Dallas Mavericks minutes in a crowded training camp, and Friday’s sixth practice offered a more useful evaluation than another reminder that he can shoot. Coach Dusty May said Biberović’s defense is further along than expected.
He also described a player still adjusting to a less structured Dallas system, where speed, length and split-second decisions can turn a comfortable possession into a small emergency.
That combination gives Biberović a credible route into the rotation without making the route sound easy. Shooting is the obvious entry point. It is also only the beginning. For the Mavericks, the question is whether his accuracy can remain valuable when he must space, move the ball, attack a closeout, rebound and defend before the offense gets around to rewarding his specialty.
Biberović’s own Friday assessment covered the right territory. He said he needs to contribute through rebounding, defense, physicality and decision-making instead of trying to earn minutes through shooting alone. That is a practical understanding of the competition. The jumper may get him considered; the rest of the possession determines whether Dallas can leave him on the floor.
His shooting résumé is strong enough to justify the experiment. With Fenerbahçe last season, Biberović converted 73 of 183 three-point attempts in 36 EuroLeague regular-season games, a 39.9% rate. Across five playoff games, he averaged 15.8 points.
Those numbers show established accuracy in a serious competition. Dallas has yet to see that accuracy tested against an NBA opponent. An established shooting skill gives May something to evaluate, without settling how it will fit a different competition.
The change in structure may be the most important part of his adjustment. May described a less structured system requiring Biberović to adapt his decisions to speed and length. That shifts the evaluation away from whether a familiar sequence reaches its expected ending.
The decisions matter as much as the ending. Biberović’s own emphasis on rebounding, physicality and moving the ball suggests that he understands the range of work involved. A shooting résumé is useful; it cannot defend a possession.
That is why May’s defensive assessment matters. If Biberović can stay connected, handle the physical part of a possession and finish it with a rebound, Dallas has more freedom to use his shooting. The offensive skill then supports several jobs rather than demanding that the entire lineup protect it.
Biberović has identified those responsibilities, but Friday’s practice did not establish that he has mastered NBA containment, positioning or contact. May’s encouragement is meaningful; it is not a rotation guarantee.
