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The Mavericks were 1-4 over the last week and remain in 12th place in the West. They beat Brooklyn (123-114), and lost four largely uncompetitive games to Sacramento (130-121), Memphis (124-105), Oklahoma City (100-87), and Charlotte (117-90). Naji Marshall led the team in scoring with 20.3 points per game. Cooper Flagg (foot) remains out, while Naji Marshall (finger), P.J. Washington (ankle), and Marvin Bagley (neck) all missed time.
Grade: C-
Cooper Flagg’s return cannot come fast enough. The Mavericks are playing multiple two-way guys every night and have rotation players in and out. This was one of the most meaningless stretches of basketball the Mavericks have played since possibly the 1980s, as they did not play well and did not improve their lottery odds by a single point.
Max Christie and Khris Middleton played all five games. They averaged a combined 21 points per game on 38-of-101 shooting (37.6 percent). It was not a good showcase from them when they had an elevated offensive burden due to the injuries on the team. Dallas cycled point guards and centers and found nothing worthwhile in either category, outside of a remarkable stat line from Moussa Cisse against the Thunder: 12 rebounds, zero points, zero assists, zero blocks, and zero steals.
The Mavericks play three more road games this week, in Orlando, Boston, and Toronto. The talk is that Cooper Flagg could return in one of these games, and with him being from Maine, a homecoming in Boston could be on the horizon.
Straight A’s: Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson is in Dallas as a result of the falling out he had with Golden State over his role, and particularly with regards to coming off the bench. He came here to start alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, yet now he finds himself subbing in for Max Christie. Any player of his caliber and with his resume would have every right to demand a trade or pout. And yet, Thompson has not said a word. He has been a consummate professional, showing up to work every day and playing as well as he can. I am sure mentoring Cooper Flagg provides incentive to take a back seat on a bad team, but the fact that he hasn’t repeated the antics that led to an exit from the Warriors is commendable.
Currently Failing: Watchability
The Mavericks were already teetering on the edge of tolerable when Cooper Flagg was playing, but now that he has been out for an extended period of time, it’s clear where the joy from those games came from. It’s not even that Dallas is hurt or bad; it is that most of the guys they have healthy are either old or playing for their NBA lives. There are no future implications when Flagg does not play. This is not a Wizards or Nets situation, where they have loads of young guys that could be the core moving forward. This is as close to an existential crisis as basketball fandom gets.
Extra Credit: Khris Middleton
Middleton will be a Maverick for the rest of the year. There were reports of Denver having interest, but ultimately, it will be Dallas where the former champion will play out his 2026 season. Regardless of reasoning, the Mavericks will benefit from his decision. He is another winning vet that can help guide Dallas’ young star rookie and prevent a losing culture from seeping in. It also speaks to the quality of guys behind the scenes, at least to some degree, that he would want to play relatively meaningless basketball in the latter stages of his career when the option to ring chase was on the table. Khris Middleton, we will not forget what you have done here.