Cuban the Mavericks fan wants more touches for Wright

Mark Cuban took off his ownership hat for a few minutes and offered some unsolicited advice pertaining to center/forward Brandan Wright.

Through 16 games, Cuban has watched intently as Wright has been on an NBA record-setting pace in field-goal shooting. So far, the eight-year veteran leads the league in field goal accuracy at a gaudy 77.2 percent.

That prompted Cuban to step out of the box and toss in his two cents.

“We’ve just got to come up with more ways to get him the ball,’’ Cuban said. “I don’t think we’ve done a very good job there.’’

And how exactly does Cuban plan on getting Wright the ball more without meddling in the basketball side of things?

“That’s why we have a coach,’’ he said. “That’s not me.

“That’s just Mark the fan talking. If we can get him the ball down low he’s unstoppable.’’

Wright has been so unstoppable that until he went 3 of 7 from the field in Wednesday’s 109-102 overtime victory over the New York Knicks, he had gone the first 15 games of the season shooting at least 50 percent from the field in every game.

Wilt Chamberlain holds the NBA single-season field-goal shooting record, set during the 1972-73 campaign when he shot 72.7 percent. Chamberlain also owns the second spot — 68.26 percent in the 1966-67 season — while Tyson Chandler is third after shooting 67.89 percent in the 2011-12 season for the Knicks.

Wright can’t help but be aware of his record-setting pace, because it’s often brought up among media members. But he realizes that many obstacles can get in the way between now and season’s end.

“I’ve got pride it in,’’ said Wright, who has made 71 of 92 attempts. “Let’s talk about it again if we’ve got 10 games left and I’m still hovering around that area.’’

The Mavs (11-5) hope Wright will be hovering around the rim again at 6:30 p.m Friday when they play the ultra-hot Toronto Raptors (13-2) at Air Canada Centre.

In his support of Wright, Cuban went so far as to speak of him glowingly in Dirk Nowitzki-like terms.

“He’s a guy who’s like Dirk out there in some respects,’’ Cuban said. “Instead of mid-range, once he gets inside the free-throw line, you give him the ball and he’s unstoppable.

“I’d love to see Coach [Rick Carlisle] come up with stuff to just give him the ball more. Post-ups, whatever. Cross-screens. I don’t care how he gets it. Get guys to switch so he gets a little one on him, then it’s over.’’

In his three previous seasons with the Mavs, Wright shot 61.8, 59.7 and 67.7 percent from the field. He treats the hoop like a dart target.

“His efficiency is off the charts,’’ Cuban said. “He’s very comfortable in Coach’s system.

“We don’t overplay him, we don’t overemphasize, and so he’s able to get everything in the flow of the game. We’re not near as good a team without him.’’

Wright doesn’t spend his waking hours thinking about entering the NBA record books. He’s driven by something much more meaningful.

“You’re always going to make shots, but my goal is not to break the record or anything like that,’’ Wright said. “I want to see every ball go in.’’

Thus far, nearly every ball Wright has shot has gone in.

Top shooters in NBA history

Mavs center/forward Brandan Wright is on an NBA record-setting pace for field goal accuracy. Here are the top single-season field goal shooters in NBA history:

This story was originally published November 27, 2014 at 8:33 PM with the headline "Cuban the Mavericks fan wants more touches for Wright."