Monta Ellis: 'I'm looking for the pass too much'

New Dallas Mavericks guard Monta Ellis is still working to find his role within the team's offense.

His preseason has been a mix of good and bad, however. On the one hand, he's averaging just 11.6 points and shooting 41 percent from the field. On the other, he's averaging 6.1 assists and more than two assists per turnover.

Last year, for a comparison, Ellis shot 42 percent from the field, scoring 19.2 points and averaging six assists, though that comes in far more minutes.

Anyway, Ellis thinks he hasn't been aggressive enough shooting:

"I think I'm looking for the pass too much. I've got to be more aggressive attacking the basket, getting a couple to go down and then work to see how the defense changes."

"There's a lot of shots that's been there and I've been making the late pass. I think the majority of my turnovers come because instead of me taking that shot or making the layup, I try to pass. I've got to get out of that. I've got to be more aggressive and make the defense move." 

What Ellis is talking about is a tough trade-off. The balance between being an aggressive scorer (one of Ellis' strengths) and facilitating is a tough one, especially with new teammates.

It's a trade-off Ellis has gotten better with the past two seasons, as his assist rate climbed above 25 percent for the first time. With that said, he still ranked 32nd of 38 qualified guards in assist rate the past two years, and his scoring efficiency isn't elite.

As Eye on Basketball notes, "Ellis shot 37 percent in isolation situations last season according to Synergy Sports...those numbers, if you're wondering, are not great."

So it seems like it could be beneficial for Ellis and the Mavs for him to pass up some of those isolation shots to create more for teammates. In turn, it could make the entire offense more fluid and dangerous, and a lower usage rate could see Ellis' efficiency rise.