Dallas enters the new season with a reset at the top and Cooper Flagg at the center of the floor plan. After a 26-56 finish that left the Mavericks 12th in the Western Conference and outside the postseason, Masai Ujiri has taken charge of basketball operations and selected Dusty May for his first NBA head-coaching job.
May arrives after leading Michigan to a national championship. His first Dallas roster carries both development projects and immediate questions, beginning with whether Flagg can turn a strong rookie year into an All-Star-level leap at age 19.
Quick facts
- Dallas went 26-56 last season, finishing 12th in the West.
- New additions include Santi Aldama, Tarik Biberović, Sergio De Larrea, Morez Johnson Jr., Tobi Lawal, Zaccharie Risacher and Marcus Sasser.
- The Mavericks were second in transition efficiency last season at 1.20 points per possession, but ranked 30th in the half court at 0.93.
- Dallas opens a notable stretch of matchups Oct. 24 against San Antonio, featuring Flagg, Risacher and Victor Wembanyama, three straight No. 1 picks.
Kyrie Irving’s return from a season lost to injury could change the texture of the offense. Over the past three seasons, Irving-generated isolation possessions have produced 1.11 points per chance, seventh among 110 players with at least 300 direct isolations in that span. His 1.04 points per pick-and-roll chance also outpaced every Dallas ball-handler from last season.
There is still a roster audit underneath the optimism. Irving’s standing beyond the trade deadline remains a question, while P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II are among the holdovers from the group that reached the NBA Finals a few seasons ago. The front office has to determine which pieces belong beside Flagg as the next version of the Mavericks takes shape.
The offensive problem from last year was clear: Dallas could run, but it could not consistently manufacture points once the game slowed down. The club posted a 64.1 effective field-goal percentage in the first six seconds of possessions, fifth in the league, before falling to 52.7 percent afterward, 28th. That 11.4-point gap was the NBA’s largest.
Overall, Dallas finished 27th in offensive rating. Irving should supply late-clock shot creation, but the new staff will need more stable half-court answers around Flagg rather than relying on transition bursts.
Zaccharie Risacher is one of the season’s biggest swing pieces. The 21-year-old former No. 1 overall selection did not establish himself across two seasons in Atlanta and was out of the Hawks’ playoff rotation last year, an unusually swift change of course for a player taken that high.
Dallas is betting that a different setting can unlock him. Risacher has sound basics and a smooth approach to the game, but he needs confidence and a defined role without the weight that followed him as a top selection. If he becomes a reliable rotation wing, the Mavericks will have found real value in the move.
Training camp will also sort out a crowded frontcourt. Washington, Lively and Daniel Gafford are now joined by Aldama, who came from Memphis after three consecutive double-digit scoring seasons, plus Johnson, the first-round pick who played for May on Michigan’s title team.
Minutes will not be available for everybody. Aldama’s versatility gives Dallas another playable big, while Johnson arrives with familiarity in May’s system. The staff’s early work will be establishing the order among that group and finding combinations that preserve size without clogging the offense.
The schedule supplies several early checkpoints. On Oct. 24, Dallas meets the Spurs in a game set to put Flagg and Risacher on the court with Wembanyama. The Cavaliers visit on Nov. 14, giving Irving a return to Cleveland, where his Game 7 shot in 2016 helped deliver the city’s lone NBA championship.
Dallas faces Boston on Nov. 15, bringing Flagg close to Maine, where he grew up as a Celtics supporter. The Mavericks play Philadelphia on Dec. 17 in a matchup connecting Flagg with LeBron James, who has spoken highly of the young forward.
On Feb. 13, the Mavericks take on Charlotte. Flagg will see former college teammate Kon Knueppel, while Washington gets a meeting with his former Hornets club.
