The offseason is about stories. There is no NBA basketball to analyze, so all the enjoyment of the sport comes from conversing about hypotheticals. Football is back, which means Cowboys-fueled disappointment has activated my basketball brain. It is time to turn away from an embarrassing Cowboys loss on Sunday Night Football and turn towards a compelling Mavericks season ahead. Here are five storylines to follow this season in Dallas:
Cooper Flagg’s sophomore leap
Arguably the most important offseason for any young superstar is
the one between his rookie and second year. LeBron James was a prodigy, but he became LeBron James in year two. His scoring jumped from 20.7 points per game to 27.2 and didn’t dip below 24 until last year, his 23rd season. It was a similar story for our own Luka Doncic, who was exciting and fun in his first go-around, but became Luka Doncic with a similar scoring jump in year two and never looked back.
This is what Cooper Flagg will aim to do. There is a lot of leeway for rookies because of their inherent team situations and the learning curve the NBA demands, but year two is much less forgiving. For a lot of the game’s best, what we think of them today is what we thought of them in their second season, with fine tweaks around the edges. Flagg averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists last year. He was the Rookie of the Year. There is pressure on him to build on that. It will be both exciting and nerve-wracking to watch as he attempts to become the next guy to establish himself as one of the game’s best.
Kyrie Irving, Maverick for life?
When Kyrie Irving was traded to Dallas in 2023, I do not think any of us expected him to both stick around this long and be as universally loved by the fanbase. He was a character shrouded in uncertainty and had a closet full of skeletons when the Mavericks got him. In fact, that’s partially why the Mavericks were able to get him for the price they did. Now, three-and-a-half years later, Irving is a beloved member of the team and one who has stated he loves being here. He made sense on the team he was traded to, but now that the circumstances have changed, his future here is unclear.
The NBA 2K answer would be to trade him for picks or young players to help with the rebuild. But NBA 2K does not factor in human emotion and real-life variables. Maybe Irving wants to compete for a championship somewhere else, but maybe he just wants to play out his career here. Maybe he gets the option to choose, but it’s possible the decision will be made for him under this new regime. As February approaches, I am sure we will have a clearer picture of where Irving will be in March. Wherever that is, Irving has made his mark on Mavericks history.
Masai Ujiri must reconcile this roster
Speaking of the new regime, the sunshine and rainbows that came with simply not having Nico Harrison in charge are starting to fade. We have a month or so until the Mavericks actually play basketball, and the team has four guards signed to standard contracts. One is Irving, coming off of an ACL injury; one is Max Christie, who barely counts as a guard; and the other two are rookie Sergio de Larrea and newly acquired Marcus Sasser. Telling Irving to carry the load as point guard after he just missed 19 months would be irresponsible, which would leave Sasser and de Larrea to handle it, who have a combined 17 games started in their careers.
I am sure the Mavericks will likely go with a “point guard by committee” approach instead, with Flagg taking some of the duties and letting some other big guys dribble it up as well. But having 11 forwards/centers to just four guards on the team to start the year is already putting their competitive viability behind the eight ball. All summer there has been an assurance of “don’t worry, the offseason isn’t over; there are surely more moves coming”. Well, no moves have come yet. Ujiri, you’re up. Time to show us you’re not just Nico Harrison with better PR.
The Mavericks may be competitive this season
I know I just got done grilling Dallas for their lack of a sensible roster, but it may not really matter in a lot of regular-season games. They have a ton of talent, and while it may not fit together super well, a lot of nights their talent will just beat the other team who isn’t trying that hard. If Flagg makes a leap and Irving looks good, the Mavericks may be a solid team. They aren’t winning a playoff series or anything like that, to be clear. But I do not think a play-in berth is out of the question, despite their low win total of just 33.5 on FanDuel. Don’t be surprised if Dallas challenges a .500 record.
Dereck Lively has to be healthy
It is time we talk candidly about Lively’s health. Of the 246 possible games he could have played in his career, he has dressed for just 98. That is less than 40 percent. He played just seven last season and 36 the year before. When he has played, he has shown signs of being really good. He was invaluable, as a rookie no less, to an NBA Finals team. But the injury history cannot be ignored. Lively is a seven-footer with multiple leg and foot problems, the most recent of which has sidelined him since November 21st of last year. And no one has ever said that your legs get healthier as you get older. Dallas picked up his team option for this season but has not extended him. If he cannot prove that he can stay on the court at just 22 years old, the Mavericks will have to get real about whether or not Lively should be in their plans going forward.
