A winning culture comes before actually winning. Good coaches and winning players know this, and new Dallas Mavericks head coach Dusty May just made sure to emphasize how that’s exactly what they are building in Dallas right now.
“We’re not having to teach all of these guys how to win and what it takes, they’re already well-versed,” he said last week in an interview with Dallas radio station 105.3 the Fan.
Looking at the current NBA Champions, the New York Knicks, we see one of the greatest examples
of the power of a winning culture in recent history. The Knicks don’t have superstars. They don’t have an NBA MVP or the scoring leader. The Knicks have a well-built team, a strong leader in Jalen Brunson, who was brought up in the team-oriented culture of Villanova. He knows how to make a team work together and take the lead when needed, and a team with a very firm winning culture.
The interesting part of this, with Dallas glasses on, is that this specific mental aspect of basketball, which is just as important as individual skillset – a winning culture – has clearly been a priority by Dallas Mavericks president and GM Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz since they took over.
We see that in who they drafted this summer, who they acquired, and who they kept on the roster.
Here’s Dusty May again:
“Sass (Marcus Sasser) coming from the Houston program out of college and the Pistons last year, coming from a winning organization. He’s used to winning.”
May highlights the new players as more than capable of helping to (re)establish that culture in Dallas.
“That’s the majority of our roster, especially the newly acquired players. You look at Tarik (Biberovic), going to the EuroLeague finals. Morez (Johnson Jr.) winning a championship.”
“Zacch (Risacher) with an Atlanta Hawks team that had the Knicks down in the playoffs, before the Knicks caught fire and figured some things out,” he said, making a point to note how building a winning culture may be a top priority as the pre-season begins.
“We have a lot of guys who know what winning requires,” May said and repeated that they don’t have to teach all these young guys what it takes. They already know.
And may I add Sergio De Larrea? Coming fresh off a Spanish championship win with Valencia over Spanish powerhouse Barcelona, he also won Best Young Player 2026 in the Spanish ACB league. He knows how to win, as well.
Creating a winning culture, which we probably saw in Dallas the last time in 2024 during the Finals run, also takes veterans and leaders on and off the court setting the tone.
Here, Dusty May mentioned two players especially, two names which probably won’t be a big surprise to anyone. The first one had him “blown away” after watching him practice.
“We all know how talented Kyrie (Irving) is with a ball in his hand, not in his hands. But to see his preparation, attention to detail and IQ, it’s something that I’ve never seen at the level he works.”
You expect a player like Kyrie Irving to be over the hill right now, when you think about his long and successful career, to be a locker room presence and vet. But the impressive part about Kyrie, May pointed out, is that he is still one of the best players in the league when healthy – as well.
“For someone to still be able to impact the day to day like he does, and also be able to have the leadership role, it’s gonna prove invaluable,” May said.
The second player is Cooper Flagg, of course. The young number one draft pick, who’s entering his second season, and in some way managed to live up to all the hype. A guy who struggled losing as much as Dallas did last season and – or but – still carries that special winning player competitive spirit to everything he does.
“To be 19 years old and to have everything thrown at him as he has,” the Dallas Mavericks head coach said, “it’s a real testament to his maturity and to the people around him to keep him grounded, because he is just a normal guy.”
And to Dusty May, being his coach comes with a special obligation.
“There’s a real responsibility that he becomes the absolute best he can be.”
“At every level of basketball, he’s affected winning. So that’s what we expect of him. It’s going to be fun to be part of his journey,” Dusty May said and once again, we’re back at the topic at hand.
Because this seems to be the general point Dusty May and the Mavs want to push and put out there. ‘We’re building a winning culture here. Through the players we acquire, through the players we retain, through the way we build the team and how we communicate’.
For something like this to work, however, it is important that everyone involved, including the fanbase, understands that it is not a quick fix. It’s a long process of building a roster and a culture around a guy, who they feel – and rightfully so – that they have a responsibility to help fulfill his potential.
So if the Knicks win last season serves to prove a point here; about how a team can be better than the sum of its parts when trust, connection and leadership are on point and a roster is made to work together – then this new Dallas Mavericks leadership may just be on to something.
Find more Beyond Basketball pieces here.
