The Dallas Mavericks boast a losing record. Through only five games, it’s hard to feel as if the sky isn’t falling.
The Dallas Mavericks have played only five games this season. It’s way too early to panic, although based on the play fans have seen, there’s very little reason to have hope.
After all, Klay Thompson is a shell of himself. Of course, it’s reasonable to assume that his putrid shooting will eventually return to his career averages, although the rest of his game is on the decline. The defense and off-ball movement, as well as his facilitating abilities, seem totally diminished.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Mavericks entered the season with very real playoff hopes. Anthony Davis was expected (or advertised) to hit MVP form, and Cooper Flagg was expected to be a star-level player right away.
Were those expectations realistic? Of course not! But the Mavericks, after making the Finals in 2024 and risking it all to part ways with Luka Doncic, still have to answer to the standards they set.
So far, there’s little reason to be optimistic.
Jason Kidd Is Not Trying to Win Games
Jason Kidd is one of the best point guards ever. He led the NBA in assists five times despite career overlap with Chris Paul, John Stockton, and Steve Nash. It stands to reason that he would maximize point guards as a head coach, right?
Wrong! His track record suggests the opposite! He actually oversaw the beginning of Deron Williams’ decline as coach of the Brooklyn Nets. His biggest success story, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has some passing chops but is very much a power forward.
Kidd’s past suggests he understands what it would take to maximize Flagg, who was billed as the best forward prospect since LeBron James. Instead, Flagg has been bitterly disappointing, in large part thanks to his playing out of position.
For whatever reason, Kidd is starting Flagg at point guard. This is despite the Mavericks signing D’Angelo Russell over the summer. Now, Russell is not a superstar guard like Kyrie Irving is, but he is a proven NBA veteran.
When he is on the floor, the Mavericks boast a net rating of +13.4, good for fourth in the entire NBA. When Russell sits, the Mavericks are at -22.3, by far the worst mark in the league.
It’s not only the team as a whole that excels when Russell is on the floor. Flagg is outscored by 15.3 points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor. The only player he is above 0 points with is Dereck Lively II, but when he shares the floor with Russell, he is at -4.0, which is the third-best mark of any of his teammates.
It should come as no surprise that Russell makes an appearance in all five of the Mavericks’ best lineups. However, he has yet to start a game and ranks seventh in minutes per game.
It’s easy for armchair GMs like yours truly to criticize Kidd’s rotations. While his puzzling choices are a major reason why the Mavericks are struggling, it’s far from the only one.
Dallas Mavericks Have No Identity
When the Mavericks traded Doncic, Nico Harrison harped about “defense winning championships” and wanting players with the “Mamba Mentality.”
Sure. Whatever, dude.
Flagg, despite his offensive tools, has been touted as a defensive-first player. The same could be said for Davis, who boasts five All-Defensive nods. Add in Thompson, Lively II, Naji Marshall, and PJ Washington, and this Mavericks’ team was expected to be able to defend up and down the lineup.
They actually have a solid defense. They rank fifth in defensive rating. However, they boast a fairly mediocre 115.4 points allowed per game, compared to the league-average 118. Combine that with their turnover-prone offense and fourth-worst 3-point shooting, and their defense would need to be elite to even stand a chance.
Their defense doesn’t really matter so much when they can’t rain in points on the other end of the floor.
When Doncic was in town, the Mavericks were known as a team that could score inside and out, moving the ball with ease. It’s easy to blame everything on the Doncic trade, but after his two games to open this season, it’s impossible to ignore.
The Mavericks are fine on defense. They’re woeful on offense, with the league’s worst offensive rating. Maybe having an experienced point guard on the floor, instead of three players who all want to play power forward, would be a better idea. What do I know?
There’s nothing to brag about, and any playoff team needs to be able to hang its hat on something.
We Need to Talk About Cooper Flagg
It’s been five games. It’s too early to pass real judgment on Flagg and his NBA career so far, but hanging two points on the Thunder is not a good look, even though Oklahoma City is a juggernaut.
So far, Flagg is not a great outside shooter. He can’t run the offense. The most damning thing, however, is his free-throw rate. He’s yet to miss from the line (that’s good!), but he only takes 2.6 free throws per game.
For context, only 23 players play 30 minutes a more and take fewer free throws. Of those players, Flagg takes more shots inside the arc than everyone but Deandre Ayton. A slasher like him needs to create contact.
He is playing out of position. His two best teammates are injured (Irving and Davis, who has an Achilles injury but is active). The fans still pine for Luka. It’s not an ideal situation. However, he was the first pick. He can’t be ranking sixth in points per game, sixth in assists, and ninth in win shares.
The Mavericks, by every metric, are better when he’s off the court than when he’s on it. A big chunk of that could be that he has played twice as many minutes without Russell as with Russell, although personal responsibility has to be taken.
As one of the better prospects in recent memory, he needs to be better. He’s not surrounded by tanking talent like Tre Johnson or Kon Knueppel. He has real stars sharing the court with him, and his disappointing play is one of many symptoms of a poor start for the Mavericks.
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