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With Cooper Flagg making a return soon (he’s questionable against Orlando Thursday but seeing as they go to Boston Friday, I expect that’s when he comes back), we thought it time to ask the staff what game or games they’re looking forward to.
Bryan: I am looking forward to any game Cooper Flagg plays in because he is already incredible and likely to come back from this recent injury absence with another absurd new skill or wrinkle to his game. I want to see Cooper play and play well, especially against his fellow rookies. If it leads to losses because the team around him is cooked product, the lottery deity of your choice should smile kindly upon us. If we win because he put the team on his pimply, teenage back and led us to victory, I will begrudgingly accept it because we don’t want him learning to be a loser. The common denominators for all watchable Mavericks basketball in 2026 will be Cooper Flagg’s growth and evaluating which teammates enable or hinder that.
Michael: This is one of those rare seasons in general, but specifically a rare junction in the season, where I am not looking forward to any particular game, yet I am strangely intrigued by all of them.
The Celtics game adds a bit of flair as something of a homecoming for Cooper Flagg, but at the same time, Flagg played high school ball three hours and two states removed from the TD Garden, so even that doesn’t fully grab me. Otherwise, there is really not a single opponent/matchup that is drawing me in since the Mavs really don’t have a rival or even a payback game on the horizon.
Despite that, my overall intrigue comes for a variety of reasons: Flagg returning and making a final Rookie of the Year push, Daniel Gafford getting healthy and confident, P.J. Washington returning to form, Naji Marshall dropping 30 points on 70% shooting at any given moment, and seeing what some of the young guys can do. These last 20-plus games should feature plenty of Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams regularly starting, AJ Johnson getting lots of burn and plenty of touches, Moussa Cisse looking for an 18 rebound night, etc. I certainly don’t want to outright bag it, but do want to embrace giving some young guys a look to see what the team has, and at the very least send them into the summer knowing what they need to do. Many of these games will not be must-see TV, but we have (what will hopefully be) a rare opportunity to see what the young guys can do, and that’s something the Mavs have seldom been in a position to do.
Tyler: Whatever the last one is, so we can finally somewhat turn the page on everything that’s happened and make this Cooper Flagg’s team.
I’m only partly kidding, but really the one for me is of course the Lakers coming in towards the end of the year, for obvious reasons. Anytime Luka comes to town, it’s a big deal.
Isaac: I’m on board with what Michael said. There aren’t any particular games that pique my interest, but I’m still tuning in when I can to watch this team. Whether it’s Khris Middleton or Cooper Flagg out there, I still think of the Dirk and Jason Terry teams I grew up on every time I turn on the Mavericks.
To give a specific answer though, I am looking forward to the Boston game. All eyes will be on us with the Tatum return and I want Cooper Flagg to re-establish himself as the favorite for Rookie of the Year since the odds have flattened between him and Kon. I’ll always get hyped for games against the Clippers and once we get down to the final 10 or so games, I’ll be checking Tankathon and watching each game with a heavy heart. rooting for my team to lose so we can win in the future.
Joe: I don’t have a particular game I am looking forward to. I am just looking forward to seeing Cooper’s game. I am extremely excited to see how he comes out after his first time missing real time due to injury, and coming back from a legit foot injury. I am also extremely curious to see how the Mavericks handle his games played. He’s 16 games away from hitting the 65-game requirement to qualify for Rookie of the Year after losing a commanding lead in the Vegas odds to Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel.
The Mavericks have 21 games left and the second-hardest strength of schedule remaining. With their last draft pick for the foreseeable future, they need to lose to position themselves for the best pick possible, so it will be interesting to see if they let Coop play all 16 games. Additionally, I would like to see if he can keep up the pace he was on in December and January with his production and level of play. I am really just excited to watch, evaluate, and break down more of his game. I also want to see him play more with the variety of wings the Mavericks now have with the addition of Middleton to Naji and PJ. The Mavericks need to figure out which one fits best next to Flagg, or which type of player. I really just want to see him come back, take ROY, and then call it a season without reaggravating any injury. I’ll be watching any game Coop is playing.
Sudarshan: I’m with Tyler on this one. The last game of the season is the one I’m most looking forward to so that we can move on from this festering turd of a season.
Watching Flagg’s progression on a game-by-game basis has definitely been fun, but this team has been nigh on unwatchable after they’ve committed wholeheartedly to the tank with Flagg out injured.
At this point, the only thing that I’m doing is counting down the games and looking forward to the lottery & the draft. Maybe that makes me a hater, but I want my team to be enjoyable to watch. Watching Naji put up 30 shots a game, and PJ & Gaff derp it up, isn’t really appealing.