To borrow a turn of phrase from my fellow Mavsmoneyball contributor, Bryan Robi – Oooohhweee.
The Mavericks derped their way to an embarrassing 107-117 loss to the Washington Wizards in the second game
of their six-game homestand. Let that sink in – The Washington Wizards. Now, a lot of people might point to Kyshawn George’s career-high 34-point explosion as a somewhat mitigating factor. Still, the fact of the matter is that the Mavericks are doing their level best to recreate the Stanley dribbling meme from The Office.
The lack of a true playmaker puts too big a load on young Cooper Flagg’s shoulders, and teams have quickly picked up on the Mavericks’ guard deficiencies and pressed Dallas hard as they bring the ball up the court. Most optimists might point out that this is more of a short-term pain, long-term gain move to develop more playmaking from the front court, but watching Anthony Davis, PJ Washington, and Cooper Flagg combine for 18 turnovers(!) hardly makes for enjoyable viewing for Mavericks fans.
The season is still young, though – only 2 games in, but the window is closing fast for this roster construction. Sustained losing from a team with supposed Championship aspirations is in no way acceptable, and in this absolute monster of the Western Conference could be an early harbinger of a lost season.
Let’s look at how Dallas graded out in their latest episode of the Embarrassment Chronicles at the hands of the Washington Wizards:
P.J. Washington: B
18 Pts/9 Reb/1 Ast/2 Stl/1 Blk/8 TOs in 40mins
PJ has comfortably been the Mavericks’ best player in the first two games of the season. Turnover issues aside, he’s been decisive & efficient and would, in an ideal world, be one of the focal points for a young team built around Cooper Flagg. He had an absolute highlight of a chase-down block early in the game when the Mavericks had a lead but struggled bringing the ball up the floor against the Wizards’ full-court pressure.
Anthony Davis: C
27 Pts/13 Reb/4 Ast/2 Stl/2 Blk/5 TOs in 38mins
Davis might’ve stuffed the stat sheet with his second double-double in as many games, but his scoreline has all the makings of empty calories. He looks heavy and out of shape and is content to laze his way through the game. For someone of his athletic ability, even in its current diminished form, he doesn’t do enough to exert his authority on the game from a physicality standpoint, spending large portions of the game settling for long jumpers and disrupting the rhythm of the offense.
Dereck Lively: B-
8 Pts/6 Reb/2 Ast/2 Stl/1 Blk/2 TOs in 20mins
Lively was efficient in his minutes and was unfortunate to not get more game time as Jason Kidd opted to play Anthony Davis at the 5 in an attempt to play their way back from a large deficit. He rebounded from an absolute shocker on opening night and showcased some nice touch around the rim. He definitely needs more minutes though to continue to develop. The coaching staff and front office have to be aware that the second of the two timelines does not work if Lively isn’t a key contributor.
Klay Thompson: D
8 Pts/4 Reb/0 Ast/1 Stl/0 Blk/0 TOs in 18mins
As much as we can all enjoy Captain Klay’s attempt to ingratiate himself with the fanbase with his mentions of the 2011 title run, Klay has to do more. Even by his own usual early-season struggles, Thompson’s play has been shocking. At age 35, it’s clear he’s lost many steps and his play continues to make the case that he should be traded to a contender so that he can ride out in style, or play off the bench with either D’Angelo Russell or some other guard taking his place.
Cooper Flagg: B+
18 Pts/5 Reb/6 Ast/1 Stl/1 Blk/5 TOs in 35mins
While he is a prodigious talent with a strong head on his shoulders and a relentless work ethic, there’s only so much Cooper Flagg can do playing so out of position. Kidd’s strategy of putting the ball in his hands and making him initiate the offense might help in the long run, but it does so much harm to his process in the here & now when Flagg is just starting out in the NBA. His fourth-quarter explosion was a joy to watch as he played to his strengths cutting towards the basket and using his athleticism to beat slower players off the dribble for some highlight dunks.
Cormac Christie: B-
9 Pts/1 Reb/2 Ast/0 Stl/0 Blk/0 TOs in 30mins
Cormac Christie might be the Mavericks’ most consistent three-point shooter at this point. He scored all of his nine points from beyond the arc with multiple corner threes, but ultimately was invisible and ineffective, camped out waiting for a pass that no one on the Mavericks roster seems capable of making – Another casualty of the clunky attempt at roster construction by the front office.
Naji Marshall: C-
7 Pts/6 Reb/4 Ast/2 Stl/0 Blk/1 TOs in 26mins
The Knife has hardly lived up to last season’s expectations, where he quickly established himself as a fan favourite and surprise offensive engine for an injury-depleted Mavericks roster. For someone who’s known as a plus-defender, Marshall found himself continuously out of position, over-rotating or even plainly leaving shooters wide open. His missed layup was a really embarrassing moment for Naji. One can only hope that he rediscovers his form from last season soon, both offensively and defensively – the Mavericks desperately need it.
D’Angelo Russell: C-
1 Pts/2 Reb/3 Ast/0 Stl/0 Blk/0 TOs in 9mins
An injury might’ve limited DLo to just nine minutes of game time, but he was quite ineffective overall. From the looks of it, Jason Kidd isn’t buying into the idea of Russell as the stand-in point guard in Kyrie’s absence and as fans, we’ve seen how players stuck in Kidd’s doghouse struggle to get solid game time.
Jaden Hardy: B
9 Pts/1 Reb/0 Ast/0 Stl/0 Blk/0 TOs in 12mins
Hardy might get clowned for his THJ-like play considering his limited talent, but to his credit he gave Dallas a spark in the third quarter as Jason Kidd threw everything at the wall in an attempt to see what sticks. He was confident and looked to be one of the few Mavericks players who seemed capable of hitting a jump shot.
