Caleb Martin’s return has already started to change the shape of the Dallas Mavericks’ defense.
After missing the first four games of the season with a right thumb sprain, Martin has been back for two games and wasted little time making his presence felt. He came into the year as one of Dallas’ biggest question marks because of his uneven offense, but if he can stay steady enough with the ball in his hands and on the perimeter, he gives the Mavericks something they badly need: real help at the point of attack.
That’s where Martin stands out. He’s Dallas’ best one-on-one perimeter defender, using a sturdy frame and enough quickness to stay with point guards.
That matters because Max Christie, the Mavericks’ starting shooting guard, has been only average defensively on the perimeter so far. If Martin keeps earning minutes, Dallas could start to look like one of the league’s better defensive teams.
The Mavericks are sitting 16th in the NBA with a 111.3 defensive rating, and their defense has had some bright spots. Daniel Gafford has been a strong rim protector, while Zaccharie Risacher and Cooper Flagg have brought elite weak-side shot blocking and active hands in passing lanes. Even with that, Dallas has still been vulnerable at the point of attack, especially because it doesn’t have a lot of size in the backcourt.
Kyrie Irving brings effort on defense, but the offensive load he carries and his size limit how far he can go on that end. Marcus Sasser has similar size concerns, and Sergio De Larrea still lacks the strength to be truly elite defensively at this stage.
That’s why Martin’s offensive stability matters so much. If he can keep himself on the floor, he has a chance to become a featured part of Dusty May’s rotation.
And if that happens, he can help push Dallas from a middle-of-the-pack defense into something much more dangerous. That all depends on whether he can keep shooting well, push the pace in transition, and attack closeouts effectively.
So far, the early signs are strong. Martin has scored 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting in his first two games back, including 4-for-7 from 3-point range. He’s never been a top-tier shooter from deep, but he has long been reliable from the corners, and Dallas’ spacing should give him more open looks than he had over the last season and a half in Dallas.
There’s also reason to believe he’s healthier than he’s been in a while. Shoulder issues had affected his shooting during his time in Dallas, but he now looks fully recovered from that stretch. With Irving the only other player on the roster older than 30, Martin’s experience and playoff track record could carry real value if he keeps building on this form.
At face value, Dallas lost the Quentin Grimes-Martin trade. But Martin still has more than $19 million left on his contract over the next two seasons, and if he continues to lock down guards while giving the Mavericks dependable offense, that deal could still return a lot more value than it looks like right now.
In Other News...
Daniel Gafford Is Masking A Mavericks Defensive Concern
Daniel Gafford has given the Mavericks exactly what they hoped for on the defensive end, and then some. His rim protection has been a major reason Dallas looks so much sturdier when he is on the floor, with opponents having a far tougher time finishing inside and the overall defense settling into a much better rhythm around him.
The concern, though, is what happens when Gafford sits. Dallas has not consistently forced turnovers, and the defense has not held its shape as well without him, which puts a spotlight on the rest of the frontcourt depth. The other big men have not come close to matching his impact, leaving the Mavericks with a real interior question they will have to keep managing as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]
Kyrie Irving Is Making Mavericks Trade Talk Much Harder To Ignore
The Mavericks have opened the season 4-2 and sit seventh in the Western Conference, and Kyrie Irving has been a big reason why the early picture looks so encouraging. He has settled in as a steadying force on both ends, giving Dallas a more efficient offense and a sharper defensive edge while the group around him continues to look increasingly comfortable together.
Irvings play has also made the trade conversation around Dallas harder to dismiss, because the case for making a major move gets murkier when the current core is working this well. With the Mavericks already showing real cohesion and Irving producing at a high level, the front office has a more complicated decision on its hands than it did a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Draft Decision Is Already Turning Into A Fan Debate
Morez Johnson Jr. was the Mavericks ninth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and his early NBA stretch has already become a talking point in Dallas. The rookie has shown only modest production so far, and a high foul rate has kept his minutes in check, which is never the kind of start that settles a fan base. It also adds an extra layer to the conversation because Johnson and the player drawing the loudest comparisons both came through Michigan under first-year Mavericks coach Dusty May.
Yaxel Lendeborg has been the early standard-bearer in that debate, giving fans plenty of reason to wonder how the draft board might look in hindsight. His stronger scoring and efficiency have made the gap feel more pronounced in the opening weeks, and because both players were tied to the same college program and coach, every early box score gets treated like a referendum. For now, the Mavericks are left with a familiar draft-night question hanging over them: whether the long view will justify the choice, or whether the noise around it is only going to grow. [Read more 🡒]