Marcus Sasser hasn’t had many chances to show what he can do in the NBA, but Dallas may be handing him one now.
For most of his first three seasons with the Detroit Pistons, Sasser was buried in a limited role. He averaged 15.8 minutes per game in Detroit, and even last season - when the Pistons still needed 3-point shooting - he was stuck at 12.0 minutes per game despite shooting over 40 percent from deep. That kind of usage never really let him stretch out and show the full range of his game.
The Mavericks, though, are in a very different spot. They need playmaking and shot creation, and that opens a door for Sasser.
Outside of Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg, Dallas doesn’t have many players who can score in isolation or manufacture their own offense. That makes the burden on Flagg and Irving even heavier, but it also creates a lane for someone like Sasser to become a much-needed outlet when he’s on the floor.
Dallas’ offense was a mess last season. The Mavericks finished 27th in the NBA, putting up just 110.3 points per 100 possessions.
Only the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, and Brooklyn Nets were worse. Since then, the team has reworked the roster around Flagg through free agency, trades, and the draft, and Sasser’s skill set fits the search for answers.
What makes him interesting is that he’s never really looked out of place when given minutes. Sasser has a scorer’s toolkit: he can create his own shot at all three levels, hit open perimeter looks, and bring energy off the bench.
He’s dangerous enough as a catch-and-shoot threat that defenders have to stay attached to him, and once they overplay the jumper, he can attack downhill with his handle. From there, he can finish at the rim, use a pull-up jumper or floater, or step back and fire from three.
That profile matters in Dallas because the guard room behind Irving is thin. If Sasser puts together a strong training camp and preseason, he could push his way into the backup point guard job. There aren’t many players on the roster with his exact mix of shooting and shot creation, which is part of why he could finally get the chance to show why he was a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
The competition for that reserve role appears to be Sergio De Larrea, and Sasser’s edge is obvious: he already has three years of NBA experience. De Larrea has yet to play a regular-season minute after being drafted in the first round earlier this summer, and his Summer League shooting from long range didn’t help his case.
He also isn’t much of a shot creator, with his lack of burst making it tough for him to score off the dribble. His passing is elite already, but if Dallas is looking for reliable shooting and creation, Sasser looks like the cleaner fit.
That gives Sasser a real opening to settle some nerves among Mavericks fans who haven’t been thrilled with how the team addressed its guard depth. If he gets off to a strong start, he could become the bench scorer Dallas needs and, just as important, prove he belongs in an NBA rotation after not getting that kind of runway in Detroit.
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 🡒]
Kyrie Irving May Be The Key To Dallas' Biggest Wing Question
Kyrie Irvings return gives Dallas a different kind of answer to a problem that has been hanging over its wing rotation. The Mavericks are still trying to sort out how P.J. Washington and Cooper Flagg fit together on the floor, and the appeal is obvious enough: Washington brings size and versatility, while Flagg adds a fresh layer of two-way upside. The real question has been whether their skills can actually complement each other once the game gets tight and possessions get more difficult.
Irving may be the piece that makes the whole arrangement look cleaner. His ballhandling and shot creation should take some of the burden off both forwards, giving Washington a better chance to settle into cleaner offensive spots and letting Flagg play off advantages instead of forcing them. Dallas does not need a perfect answer right away, but if Irving helps smooth out the spacing around those two, the Mavericks could finally start getting a clearer read on one of their most interesting lineup combinations. [Read more 🡒]