The Mavericks begin their 2026-2027 campaign on Oct. 9th against the Houston Rockets in an early morning game in Macau, China. As with almost every single year, the Mavericks enter their first preseason game with massive questions surrounding the roster, with a near complete overturn of their 2025 roster.
What is the starting lineup?
The most pressing question I have is who will encompass Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving in the starting lineup.
The Mavericks have plenty of players who could start in the NBA, but the fit between these players to paramount.
Due to this, I would expect Naji Marshall to be the sixth-man even though he may be one of the five best players on the roster.
Will P.J. Washington start? Washington has been a main-stay in the starting lineup since his arrival in Dallas, but the arrival of Morez Johnson Jr and Santi Aldama could mean his starting spot is up for grabs. Starting Johnson Jr. would be a commitment to the future, while Aldama is the best fit next to Flagg.
The Mavericks also went after Zaccharie Risacher this summer, a player with real talent and potential. Risacher is also up for a contract extension after the season, with a possible extension being over $20 million a year.
Could the Mavericks commit to Johnson Jr. at center? Could an all lottery lineup be in the cards?
We probably won’t know entirely based on preseason, but it will be interesting to see what levers Dusty May pulls in his first NBA games.
How do the rookies make an impact?
Morez Johnson Jr. and Sergio De Larrea are both expected to be immediate contributors for the Mavericks this season, but these presaeason games will be their first real taste of the NBA.
Both players showed plenty of promise in Summer League, with Johnson Jr.’s defense and athleticism, and De Larrea’s passing.
For Johnson Jr., he needs to showcase his ability to stretch the floor as a three-point shooter, along with seeing if he can surviive at the 5 defensively.
De Larrea needs to show if can handle NBA ball pressure and physicality as a ball handler, along with his catch-and-shoot ability.
Kyrie Irving’s return
If there is a primary source of optimism for the season, it is the return of Kyrie Irving.
Irving missed all of last season with a knee injury, and at age 34, there are real questions about whether he can still perform at an all-star level.
What I’m watching with Irving is his overall quickness and explosiveness. Now Irving has never been an elite leaper, nor the most explosive driver, but his quickness has always been underrated. If Irving is slower than his previous self, it will dramatically effect how he can be used within the Mavericks offense, as his role could become based around his shooting ability.
Irving has always thrived as a second option next to a star, but how will he handle playing with a young star like Flagg?
All of these questions won’t be answered in preseason, but if Irving is no longer the player he once was, it won’t be hard to tell.
Dusty May’s offense
The Jason Kidd offense was often meandering in its approach, rarely having any sort of real focus or style. But that should be different under May.
May has always been adept at adapting his offense around is personnel, so it will incredibly interesting to see how he tailor the offense around this Mavericks team.
Will he lean into bully ball and offensive rebounding? Or will the Mavericks be a fast-paced, run-and-gun style offense.
Will the Mavericks shoot 45 threes a game? Or will they be stuck in 2005.
Preseason basketball doesn’t mean much, but there are still questions that can start to be answered in these exhibition games.
