Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks may have won against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night, but there's no doubt it's one of their more frustrating performances shooting-wise so far in the 2022-23 season.

To be fair, they have had plenty of such games this campaign. Some would say that the performance against the Blazers is way better since Dallas didn't end up collapsing despite their shooting woes. Nonetheless, it's just too painful to watch how the Mavs wasted the several scoring opportunities that Doncic presented to them.

Had it not for Doncic taking over and recording a monstrous triple-double, the Mavs would have been on the Blazers' position and the ones regretting all the chances they squandered to build a massive lead. Dallas was leading 49-33 midway through the second quarter but ended up with just a two-point lead entering the halftime break–a problem that's more on their offense's inability to make shots rather than their defense.

If the Mavs want to contend for the playoffs and, potentially, reach the NBA Finals, they have to make sure they are maximizing the presence of Doncic. The first step to that? Fix their shooting.

Why The Mavs Have A Big Shooting Problem

The Mavs' shooting problem was glaring against the Blazers. With Luka Doncic attracting defenders, one or two players ended up open or wide open from the 3-point line. Time and time again, however, the rest of the Dallas roster couldn't make their shots.

Portland would probably never had the chance to take the win had the rest of the team been more efficient shooting the ball. But no, Reggie Bullock went 0-of-4 from deep, Josh Green 1-of-4, Christian Wood 1-of-5, Dorian Finney-Smith 2-of-6 and Tim Hardaway Jr. 3-of-10.

Not all of those shots were assisted by Luka, but A LOT were. In the end, the team needed their superstar to carry the scoring load with little to no help.

Of course that is not the first time it happened. It has been a recurring issue for the Mavs, and more often than not, it's what has doomed them.

Prior to Saturday's game, the Mavs were making just 36.9 percent of their catch-and-shoot triples, averaging 8.4 makes on 22.6 attempts. In their two-game skid against the Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards, they averaged 7.0 makes on 25.5 attempts from the same range.

Being open (with the defender 4-6 feet away) or wide open (with the defender 6-plus feet away) haven't changed anything for the Mavs as well. They still couldn't shoot a penny in the ocean (thanks LeBron). Dallas averaged 33.2 percent on their open triples and 37.3 percent from their wide-open long-distance shots.

For comparison, the Celtics–which lead the NBA in 3-point shooting–are making 36.2 percent of their open triples and 42.2 percent of their wide-open shots. And that's on a league-leading attempt from beyond the arc.

How Can The Mavs Address Their Shooting Woes?

Uhmmm … by shooting better?

To be fair to the Mavs, they could be a deadly shooting team when everything clicks. Remember how they blew out the Memphis Grizzlies early in the season behind the hot shooting from Luka Doncic and co.? The team made 17 of their 39 attempts from deep to power their 40-point blowout.

That's an indication they have what it takes to fix things. But they certainly need to do it more consistently.

Josh Green has been a solid shooter for the Mavs so far, and he could be a key asset to resolve their shooting woes moving forward. Hopes are high that when Davis Bertans rejoins then team, he could also provide a boost on that end. Aside from them, though, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Doran Finney-Smith really need to recapture their old form.

With Doncic improving and utilizing his post up game more this 2022-23, there will be several more opportunities for Dallas players to score. The 23-year-old is already creating all sorts of problems for defenses, and it'll definitely help if the players around him play to his strengths.

It is still too early in the season to hit the panic button. Besides, while they have been frustrating to watch a lot of times, Jason Kidd's men are still in a solid position in the West with a 7-5 record–good for sixth in the conference. The 12 games so far have simply given the Mavs a good idea of what they need to address moving forward. Whether they resolve it internally or look at the trade or free agent market is up to them.

Hopefully, though, the Mavs don't waste the immense talent that they have in their hands.