The Mavericks were 2-1 again this past week and jumped to 11th place in the West. They beat Miami (118-108) at home on Wednesday before going to Oklahoma City, where they got whooped by the Thunder (132-111).
They came back home the next night for a huge bounce-back win against Houston (122-109). Cooper Flagg led the team in scoring during these three games with 19 points per game. P.J. Washington returned on Saturday night after missing a week with a sprained ankle. Daniel Gafford (ankle) missed two games, while Kyrie Irving (knee) and Dereck Lively (foot/knee) remained out.
Grade: B
The Mavericks had their second consecutive week with multiple wins. Simply put, they are enjoyable to watch for the first time since last Christmas (no Wham intended). Cooper Flagg being far better than any 18-year-old should be has a lot to do with this, but Anthony Davis playing at a tolerable level and Ryan Nembhard being sensational have made this run of four wins in five games a lot of fun.
It is impossible to ignore the embarrassment that was the loss to the Thunder, but it is hard to fault the Mavs too much for that. For what it is worth, Oklahoma City just beat Utah by 30 on Sunday without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They are a machine right now, and getting killed by them is kind of par for the course for a team in the middle of the pack like Dallas. Still, they usually play the Thunder close and, given that they were tied after the first quarter, the final three frames left much to be desired. Their plummeting grade was quickly remedied by a gutsy win on the second night of the back-to-back against a Houston team that had only lost five games to that point.
Overall, the Mavericks are in a good spot right now if you’re a fan. The vision for what this team could be is there: a gritty, defensive-minded group that can find enough shots to be dangerous. Nembhard and Flagg will continue to grow, and if they decide to play it out with this roster, they could be a team to watch out for as the season progresses. They could also pull the plug and let Flagg lead the charge for a top-five draft pick. Either option would be interesting to watch.
Straight A’s: Ryan Nembhard
Nembhard, albeit in a small sample size, is having one of the better starts to a rookie point guard campaign than anyone since 2000. Only 10 guys have averaged as many assists as Nembhard as a starter, and they’re all guys that you have heard of. John Wall, Ricky Rubio, and Ben Simmons top that list, with Trae Young and Chris Paul not far behind. Nembhard is at 14.8 points and 6.8 assists in his six starts, on nearly 64 percent shooting. He’s doing all that while turning the ball over just eight times total (1.3 times per game).
The Mavericks’ roster clearly needed a lead guy to put guys in position to score. The offense for the first month or so looked like they were trying to run in mud. Since Nembhard has taken over, Dallas is ninth in offensive rating and 13th in net rating, which is a vast improvement over their season ranks of 28th and 21st, respectively. He can create his own shot, has made threes (6-of-7 in his last three games), and consistently makes plays when the Mavericks need him to.
For those concerned about his availability on a two-way deal, he is able to be signed to the roster on January 6th. With 38 available games left on his two-way deal and just 11 games between now and that date, Nembhard will likely be a full-time guy for the rest of the season. And, with just 12 games and six starts under his belt, he will only get better as the year wears on.
Currently Failing: Veterans in big moments
Like I said, losing to the Thunder by 21 is not the end of the world. But you would have liked the established, resuméd players to play better than they did in a spot like that. Dallas rode a three-game win streak into their nationally televised matchup in Oklahoma City, and Klay Thompson and Anthony Davis combined for five points on 2-of-16 shooting. They were minus-23 in 42 total minutes. Davis has scored two or fewer points while playing 10-plus minutes three times in his career. The last time he did this before Friday was in 2013, as a rookie, when the Pelicans were still the Hornets.
Thompson has only scored three or fewer points twice this season, once against Oklahoma City and once a month ago in Memphis (another embarrassing loss). The blowout loss to the Thunder is perhaps the most credible argument against playing the rest of the season out with the current roster. If the stars cannot show out in big moments against the team they would likely have to beat in the playoffs, then the question of which path Dallas should take may already have an answer.
Extra Credit: Accountability
After the win against Houston, Anthony Davis spoke about an interaction he had with Cooper Flagg during the game:
I love this quote for both players. Davis leading and hold his teammates accountable, and particularly their star rookie, is indicative of the culture of this team. Team mindset trickles down, and while the coach can set the tone, it is ultimately up to the players to be about whatever they say they are about. There are countless stories about young players recalling a lack of leadership early on in their careers, leading to stunted growth or a lack of success until they got a good veteran to guide them. Flagg’s recent surge has undoubtedly been propelled by the improvement he has made during the season, in part due to guys like Davis keeping his head to the grindstone.
On the other side, it is very funny that Flagg retorted to Davis’ note with the fact that Davis, too, had only five rebounds. It is cool to see that not only does the accountability go both ways, but that Flagg feels confident enough in himself to question his veteran’s credibility in criticizing him.
