Dallas Mavericks veteran point guard J.J. Barea appears to be making steady progress in his road to recovery from an Achilles injury. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle provided an update regarding the 34-year-old's status, but refused to commit to a potential return date:
He can't play and is recovering from right Achilles tendon surgery, but J. J. Barea made this 3-game road trip. Carlisle: "He’s walking around now with a boot with no crutches. His improvement has been steady. There’s no target date. The target date is when he’s ready." #Mavs
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) March 6, 2019
Barea was having another good year for the Mavs before he went down in mid-January due to the injury. Unfortunately, it turned out that he had torn his right Achilles, which required season-ending surgery for the 6-foot guard.
This could not have come at a worst time for Barea, as he will be entering free agency in the summer. This season was his last chance to up his stock, and considering he will be 35 in the summer with a long-term injury, the odds are not looking very favorable for the former NBA champ.
On the season, Barea averaged 10.9 points (on 41.8 percent shooting), 2.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.9 turnovers in 19.8 minutes per game off the Dallas bench. He has been a very reliable member of Carlisle's second unit, and it is undeniable that the Mavs have been missing his services.
This was on full display in the team's last matchup against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, as they were absolutely demolished by the Nets, 127-88. The shorthanded Mavs got destroyed by D'Angelo Russell and company, as the Mavs' bench failed to provide much resistance against the surging Nets.
Dallas is currently at 27-36 and remain way outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference.