Aaron Wiggins | Dallas Mavericks Post-Game | Jan. 02, 2022
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00:00 - Nick Gallo, KCThunder.com.
00:02 Aaron, I just want to ask you about the defense tonight.
00:05 Seemed like that is kind of what kept you all in this game
00:07 when some shots weren't falling.
00:09 That's a team that doesn't turn the ball over that much.
00:12 What were you able to do as a team to turn them over?
00:14 - Yeah, I mean, they always got Luka,
00:17 really great ball handler.
00:18 And I mean, they played through a lot of screens
00:21 and picking rules and stuff.
00:22 So we as a team defensively,
00:24 we're just trying to fight the pick and roll,
00:26 have multiple efforts, multiple pursuits,
00:27 and just try to get the ball out of those guys' hands.
00:31 They were really good.
00:31 They made some shots in the second half
00:33 to kind of keep their lead.
00:35 But I mean, we just tried to stay together
00:37 and make sure that we were trying to
00:38 just be in the right spots when we could make Luka
00:42 and Bronstein give the ball up.
00:44 But it was a really tough one defensively, tough task,
00:47 but I thought we gave a great effort.
00:50 - And Josh became the youngest player ever
00:53 to report a triple-double.
00:55 What are you feeling out there on the floor
00:58 when he's not just creating, but rebounding?
01:01 He got a scoring into the game too at all three levels.
01:03 - Yeah, I mean, he's a great player.
01:05 I mean, you see him doing it all.
01:07 In the second half, he was really getting into his bag,
01:10 offensively kind of scoring the ball with pull-ups, threes.
01:14 It was fun to watch, but I mean, he's a great player.
01:17 So young, so it's kind of crazy to see,
01:19 but I mean, he's really good.
01:21 So I mean, you kind of just see him doing it all,
01:23 but in the flow of the game,
01:25 like it's not like he's chasing it or forcing anything.
01:27 Like he's really just out there like grabbing boards
01:30 and making the right play.
01:30 So it's really fun to play with.
01:32 He's really fun to play with.
01:34 - Paris Lawson, Ocasio-Center.com.
01:39 You talked about the defense.
01:41 I wanted to talk about your defense in particular
01:42 on Luka Doncic.
01:43 It's a really tough assignment for you.
01:45 It's not the first tough assignment
01:46 you've had all season long,
01:47 but just what was your mentality going into that tonight?
01:50 - Just give my best effort.
01:51 I mean, he hit some tough shots, some contested ones,
01:54 step back threes.
01:56 You know, he's got good size to him
01:57 so he can play inside the perimeter.
01:59 And I mean, I was just trying to get my best effort,
02:01 make sure I made him work for every point he got,
02:03 make sure I made him work for, you know,
02:04 everything that he was trying to get.
02:06 You know, I didn't want him to be comfortable
02:07 just trying to kind of, you know,
02:09 make him uncomfortable, play a little bit, you know,
02:11 out of funk.
02:12 And I mean, he's a really great player.
02:14 So I did all I could, but I mean,
02:16 he's a tough guard for sure.
02:17 - And you've gone up against a lot of
02:19 really tough offensive players.
02:20 Just what have you been able to learn from each of those
02:23 that have kind of helped you maybe for, you know,
02:25 each new opponent that you're facing?
02:27 - Yeah. I mean, just never being phased.
02:28 You know, you can't lose confidence
02:30 when those guys hit tough shots,
02:31 when those guys make crazy plays.
02:33 I mean, in the second half, towards the end of the game,
02:35 he made one play.
02:36 I didn't even know, like, you know,
02:37 I didn't know there was an open player
02:38 and he made a pass behind the back.
02:40 And it was, I mean, that was a tough, just a tough play.
02:43 So, you know, you can't lose confidence.
02:45 You got to bounce right back the same way they would
02:47 if they missed a jump shot
02:48 'cause they're going to come back and shoot another one.
02:50 So, I mean, that's what makes the game super fun.
02:53 You know, kind of the competing part to the game.
02:55 And, you know, that just, you know,
02:58 adds a little bit more juice to it all.
03:00 - Last one for me.
03:01 I wanted to talk about that fourth quarter push
03:03 that you guys had,
03:04 really had an opportunity there late in the fourth.
03:06 Just what allowed you guys to get to that moment
03:08 there in the fourth?
03:09 - Just realizing that there's still time on the clock.
03:11 I think at the end of the third, we were down maybe 10.
03:14 And I mean, we said in our huddle, you know, 48 minutes,
03:16 still got a whole nother quarter,
03:18 and we got another push in us.
03:20 So we tried to give it our all
03:21 and creep back into the game and get one.
03:23 But I mean, they did a good job
03:25 just kind of executing and closing out.
03:27 - Joe Masato of the Oklahoma.
03:30 Aaron, you talked about Josh not hunting triple doubles.
03:33 He said the same thing.
03:34 Like, did you guys even know where he was at?
03:37 Did he was a rebound away there in the fourth quarter?
03:39 - No.
03:42 - As soon as-
03:43 - Sorry, you know where I'm going.
03:44 - No, no, I'm going to tell you.
03:46 I mean, as Coach Mark would say, skittles.
03:48 But no, no, no, I'm joking.
03:49 When I grabbed the rebound and I heard the crowd,
03:54 I immediately knew.
03:56 And I tried to kind of pass him the ball,
03:57 like hoping that the rebound would transfer too.
04:00 But no, as soon as I grabbed that rebound, I knew it.
04:03 And I think they called timeout right after the next play,
04:05 and I went straight to him and I was like, "My fault."
04:07 Like, I had no idea.
04:08 But I mean, no, you don't really pay attention
04:12 to those things when you're playing.
04:13 You just kind of play within the game
04:14 and let it all come to you.
04:16 But even after I took it and I heard the crowd go crazy,
04:19 I said to him, I was like, "I know you're going to get it.
04:22 Like, there's plenty of time left."
04:23 And the way that he rebounds,
04:25 the way that he plays the game,
04:26 triple-doubles are going to come naturally to him
04:28 throughout his career.
04:29 So I knew that regardless, he'd be perfectly fine.
04:32 And he was going to make history tonight.
04:34 So congrats to him. I'm happy for him.
04:36 - All right, we'll go to Daniel Bell on Zoom.
04:43 - Yeah, Aaron, you talked about the job you guys
04:46 and you specifically did on Luka tonight,
04:49 but what went into making his night tough?
04:52 Was it a lot of film watching or like,
04:55 what exactly went into,
04:57 'cause he's not that easy to slow down.
04:59 - At all. I mean, you can watch as much film as you want.
05:01 I mean, the guy plays at his pace.
05:03 He's comfortable and whatever you throw at him,
05:06 you know, it's not like it's anything
05:07 he's never seen before.
05:08 So it was just a matter of staying consistent
05:11 with my efforts, you know,
05:12 defensively fighting over screens,
05:14 trying to stay in front of him,
05:15 make him, you know, just a little bit uncomfortable.
05:18 And I mean, he continued to make play after play,
05:20 make shot after shot.
05:21 And for me, it was just about, you know,
05:23 continuing to put that effort, you know,
05:26 and just keep playing hard.
05:28 It's only so much you can do with great players like him.
05:30 So I gave him my best effort and, you know,
05:32 it was a pretty good job defensively as a team, so.
05:35 - Hey Aaron, hope you're doing well.
05:41 How would you describe the part,
05:44 your partnership with Josh Gideon?
05:45 How you see the level of communication on the floor
05:49 with this player?
05:51 - Yeah, I mean, Josh is my guy.
05:53 Like after the draft, before summer league, all of that,
05:56 we've really, you know,
05:57 kind of grown with our relationship and stuff.
06:00 He was out with COVID in the last week, you know,
06:01 we had texted each other and we talked a lot about it
06:04 and, you know, how much he was, you know,
06:06 missed, you know, not being out there on the court
06:08 with us and stuff.
06:09 But I was really happy to have him back.
06:11 And I mean, on the court, you know,
06:13 he does it all, like I said.
06:14 So, you know, our whole,
06:16 our entire team is really grateful for, you know,
06:18 just his natural ability and his natural skillset
06:21 and the things that he brings to the table.
06:23 He's a threat in every, in every asset of the game.
06:26 So he really takes a lot of focus on, from other teams
06:30 and that kind of just allows other players to, you know,
06:33 kind of get comfortable and play within their game.
06:35 So, I mean, relational wise with him and anybody on the team,
06:40 I think all the guys love him.
06:41 So he's a great kid.
06:42 [BLANK_AUDIO]