3 things to think about before the Mavericks host the Knicks

SB Nation

The Dallas Mavericks return home Monday night to face the New York Knicks in the national spotlight, looking to steady themselves after a lopsided loss in Minnesota. Despite a gritty overtime win over Portland

the night before, the Mavs’ 4–11 record speaks to deeper inconsistencies — ones that remain even as Cooper Flagg continues to emerge as a real scoring option. The Knicks, meanwhile, come in with a winning record and a well-rounded supporting cast even as Jalen Brunson nurses a hand injury. Here are three storylines to keep tabs on.

Cooper Flagg’s offensive emergence is real

After a rocky start to the season that saw head coach Jason Kidd shoehorn Cooper Flagg into the point guard role, things have finally begun to settle. Flagg is no longer burdened with primary creation — and it’s showing. Over his last five games, he’s averaged 18.8 points on 60.4% true shooting. Flagg is getting to the line a bit more as well, despite a hand injury affecting his accuracy. The role shift has been crucial: with Brandon Williams now starting at PG, Flagg is freed up to attack more opportunistically — flashing his cutting, transition game, and foul-drawing skills.

The Knicks game is another opportunity for Flagg to continue asserting himself as the focal scorer on a team that is increasingly his. If Dallas does eventually sell off veterans, that process will only accelerate.

Josh Hart, ultimate rotation glue

With Jalen Brunson banged up and other Knicks guards struggling with inconsistency, veteran utility man Josh Hart is thriving in his under-the-radar Swiss Army Knife role. Over the last five games, his usage has quietly risen: a 6.8% jump in possession involvement, a 6.3% rise in On-Ball percentage, and 4.1 potential assists per game added compared to his first seven contests. He’s scoring more (11.0 PPG), assisting more (6.2 APG) over his last five outings, and still rebounding at a solid clip, and Hart is doing all this while still being the connective tissue defensively.

The arrival of Mike Brown as head coach has allowed Hart to operate more fluidly in space and attack matchups when needed — especially when Brunson sits. Whether JB plays or not Tuesday, Dallas will have their hands full with a player who plays bigger than his role and steadier than the box score ever quite captures.

A turnover cliff dive for Dallas

During the Luka Dončić era, Dallas was elite at protecting the basketball:

2018-19 (Luka rookie year): 20th — 14.2 TOV/G
2019-20: (bubble run) 2nd — 12.7 TOV/G
2020-21: (Clippers playoff redux) 3rd — 12.0 TOV/G
2021-22 (WCF run): 1st (tied) — 12.1 TOV/G
2022-23 (no playoffs): 2nd — 12.2 TOV/G
2023-24 (Finals run): 5th — 12.5 TOV/G
2024-25 (post-trade collapse): 14th — 14.0 TOV/G
2025-26 (this year): 30th — 17.1 TOV/G

That’s a staggering—albeit easily explained—collapse. And it’s not just missed reads — it’s offensive fouls, over-dribbling, and trying to manufacture advantages that used to come from Luka or Kyrie manipulation. The Mavericks are now the worst team in basketball at protecting the ball, and while effort and size can keep games close, lost possessions are quietly killing them. This is what rebuilding looks like: a team learning on the job, playing hard, and shooting themselves in the foot.