Kyrie Irving’s return should take some of the pressure off a Mavericks wing pairing that looked awkward at times last season.
P.J. Washington and Cooper Flagg had stretches where the fit just wasn’t clean, and the biggest issue wasn’t hard to spot: Dallas didn’t have enough other shot creation around them.
Flagg is a capable playmaker, but he still hasn’t built out the full toolkit needed to steer an offense every night. With the Mavericks thin at guard last season, that left the offense scrambling too often.
Irving changes that equation. His presence should mean Washington gets more of the clean looks he was missing, even if those chances never fully match what he had alongside Luka Doncic. That matters because Washington shot 32.5 percent from three last season, and that dip helped fuel the belief that he and Flagg can’t really function together.
There is still some overlap between Washington and Flagg, especially on the defensive end. But both players are versatile enough to make the pairing work, and Irving’s spacing and steadiness should help smooth over a lot of the rough edges. Flagg could also take another step as a shooter in year two, which would only make the fit easier.
The Mavericks may also be able to use Flagg differently with Irving back in the mix. Irving’s return opens up more room for Flagg to work in the short roll, and that could mean more easy dunks and catch-and-shoot threes for Washington when defenders collapse on the other two.
The early numbers weren’t encouraging. Washington and Flagg posted a negative net rating together last season, which is exactly the kind of result that raised eyebrows. But Irving rejoining the starting group should give Dallas a much better chance to see whether that pairing can actually function.
If it still doesn’t come together, Washington would be the obvious name to revisit on the trade market. For now, though, that doesn’t seem to be the direction Dallas wants to go. New management and coaching have already praised him, which suggests the Mavericks haven’t closed the book on a future wing combo with Flagg.
Irving isn’t going to solve every issue on the roster. But his selfless, intelligent style should make things easier for everyone around him, and that includes giving Washington a better shot at quieting the doubts about his long-term fit with Flagg.
In Other News...
Cooper Flagg Is Already Facing Big Expectations In Dallas
Cooper Flagg is barely settled into the Mavericks orbit, and already the conversation around him is less about highlights than habits. His trainer has pointed to the standards new coach Dusty May is setting for the rookie, a reminder that Dallas is not just looking for scoring punch but for a player who can grow into much more than a finishing option.
For the Mavericks, that kind of early direction matters because Flagg arrives with the sort of profile that invites instant pressure in a win-now market. Mays vision is clearly centered on the broader game, with playmaking and defense part of the expectation from the start, which gives Dallas a blueprint for how it wants to build around him even before the regular season starts to answer the bigger questions. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Quietly Fixed A Major Weakness Fans Could Feel Soon
The Mavericks spent part of the summer addressing a weakness that has lingered around the roster, adding size and shooting in the same move. Santi Aldama gives Dallas a 7-foot forward who can stretch the floor with his three-point shooting and provide some defensive versatility, while Tarik Biberovic arrives as a recent second-round pick with a fresh opportunity to carve out a role.
For a team looking to look more complete going into the upcoming season, the appeal is obvious: more frontcourt depth and another body who can help the spacing around the stars. The price was real, but the kind of roster fix Dallas needed was real too, and the front office clearly saw a chance to patch a problem fans could feel every night rather than wait for it to solve itself. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Fans Already Have One Big Morez Johnson Jr. Debate
The discussion around Morez Johnson Jr. started almost as soon as the draft card was turned in, and it is easy to see why. Dallas added a player who comes with real intrigue, but also questions about where he fits and how quickly his offense will translate, which has already split the fan base into believers and skeptics.
Inside the building, though, the Mavericks are looking at Johnson Jr. through a much longer lens. The front office appears to view him as a development piece who can grow alongside Cooper Flagg, which makes the early reaction around his role feel a little premature even if it is not hard to understand. The bigger argument in Dallas may not be about what he looks like in year one, but what he can become if the organization is patient. [Read more 🡒]