The Mavericks don’t have much room for error in the backcourt, and Marcus Sasser may end up being one of the cleaner answers to that problem.
Dallas is carrying only three point guards on the roster: Marcus Sasser, Sergio De Larrea and Kyrie Irving. That leaves Dusty May with a short list when Irving sits or misses time, and it has already led some fans to question whether Sasser is really a true point guard before the season even starts.
Cooper Flagg should help soften that issue, too. He played some point guard as a rookie, and having him or Irving as the team’s initiator gives Dallas its best chance to win.
But Sasser’s value isn’t tied to running the offense full-time. He can do enough on and off the ball to matter in both guard spots.
At 6-foot-1, Sasser is undersized by traditional standards, but his 6-foot-7 wingspan gives him enough length to spend time at shooting guard and compete defensively rather than become a target. Offensively, he fits the kind of guard Dallas needs next to a creator.
May has already noticed that at training camp. After Wednesday’s practice, he pointed to the little things Sasser is doing that help the team function.
"Sass, first of all, I’ve been impressed with his cutting," May said. "He’s been a real contributor when he wasn’t even directly involved in the play.
He’s had a lot of those hidden plays that really make the team go. His shooting, his decision-making has been very sound, and defensively, he played at Houston, so we know we’re going to get his best effort."
That kind of movement matters for a role player. If Sasser keeps finding seams in the defense as a cutter, he can create easy offense for himself and keep possessions alive by making the right read once the ball comes his way.
His shooting may be the biggest reason he can carve out minutes, though. Dallas hit just 34.4 percent from three last season, which ranked 26th in the NBA, and Masai Ujiri made adding more shooting around Flagg a priority. The Mavericks can’t afford another rough year from deep, and Sasser gives them a floor spacer who has to be accounted for.
Last season with the Detroit Pistons, Sasser shot a career-high 41.5 percent from three. He brings confidence, range and the ability to hit shots both off the catch and off the dribble. That combination gives him real value if he can continue to shoot and hold up defensively.
The more Sasser can function in different lineup setups, the more ways May has to use him. That flexibility could be what pushes him into a bigger role. Dallas needs guards who can handle more than one job, and Sasser’s early camp work suggests he has a chance to become a useful piece off the bench.
In Other News...
Cooper Flagg Is Already Entering A Debate Mavs Fans Know Well
The buzz around Cooper Flagg is already moving past the usual rookie praise and into the kind of territory Mavericks fans have heard before. Masai Ujiri, the teams president of basketball operations, recently labeled the 2025 No. 1 pick a generational talent, a phrase that tends to invite as much debate as admiration. Flaggs Rookie of the Year season only sharpened the conversation, especially with the way his game has quickly started drawing the sort of lofty comparisons that usually follow the leagues most bankable stars.
For Dallas, the real intrigue is less about the label itself and more about what comes next. Flagg is being measured against the standards that have long surrounded players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and even Victor Wembanyama, which says plenty about the expectations already attached to him. The question now is whether the early flashes are enough to put him in that rare company, or whether the bigger case still has to be made on the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Just Turned Dwight Powells Return Into A Real Roster Squeeze
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Now the room has tightened. Moussa Cisses deal has since become fully guaranteed, and Dallas already has all 15 standard contracts filled, which leaves the front office looking for a way to create space if it still wants to make Powells return official. That has turned the situation into a small but real roster squeeze, with speculation naturally spilling over to Caleb Martin and other players as the Mavericks weigh their next move. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Just Raised The Stakes For Moussa Ciss
The Mavericks gave Moussa Ciss a much firmer place in their plans this week, matching an offer from the Knicks and turning what had been a developmental path into a guaranteed spot for the upcoming season. The second-year center, who came through camp on an Exhibit 10 deal before being converted to a two-way contract, is now part of Dallas 15 standard contracts and has a real chance to carve out minutes as the team heads into the NBA China Games and then the regular season.
For a player who has had to earn every step, the move raises the stakes in a different way. Ciss no longer has to wonder whether his roster status will hold, but he still has to prove he belongs in the rotation, and the Mavericks have effectively made him a longer-term piece rather than a temporary audition. [Read more 🡒]