Jason Kidd made a bold move this week, giving Tyus Jones the starting nod in just his second game as a Dallas Maverick. But that gamble didn’t pay off.
Jones struggled to find his rhythm, finishing with a -11 in just 15 minutes during a tough loss to the Phoenix Suns. And while one rough outing doesn’t define a player, it does raise a bigger question: what exactly happened with D’Angelo Russell during his final weeks in Dallas?
Russell’s time with the Mavericks was puzzling from the start. He never seemed to gain Kidd’s trust, and that disconnect only grew as the season wore on.
Despite not playing like an All-Star, Russell had stretches where he found his groove-especially from deep. Over his final 11 games in Dallas, he shot a scorching 43.2% from three.
Yet, even with Dallas dealing with serious backcourt depth issues-Kyrie Irving has been out with an ACL tear since last March-Russell was glued to the bench.
It wasn’t just that he wasn’t starting. He wasn’t playing at all.
From December 28 onward, Russell appeared in just one game. And that lone appearance came against the Chicago Bulls in a game where Kidd was ejected and assistant coach Frank Vogel took over.
That wasn’t lost on Mavericks fans, who began to question whether something more personal was at play.
Kidd later told reporters the team was trying to go younger. But that explanation didn’t sit well with many.
Veterans like Dwight Powell, Klay Thompson, and Caleb Martin have all logged significant minutes this season-each of them older than Russell. So why was he the odd man out?
The inconsistency was hard to ignore. Russell had shown flashes early on, including a pair of 20-point games in his first six outings with the team. But just as quickly as he arrived, he was out of the picture-benched night after night, even in blowouts where most coaches would let the rotation stretch a bit.
And now, with Russell shipped off to Washington in the Anthony Davis trade, Jones is getting his shot. But the early returns haven’t been promising. He’s averaging just 3.0 points per game and shooting a rough 28% from the field-numbers well below Russell’s production this season.
To make matters more confusing, Naji Marshall had been a bright spot during his time as a starting guard. He brought energy and consistency, yet found himself moved to the bench to make room for Jones. It’s a head-scratcher for fans trying to make sense of the rotation decisions.
Of course, the Mavericks are in a different place now. With the playoffs looking increasingly out of reach, the focus has shifted.
But the way the D’Angelo Russell situation unfolded remains one of the more baffling storylines of this recent stretch. Whether it was a matter of fit, philosophy, or something behind the scenes, we may never get the full story.
But one thing’s clear-Mavs fans aren’t done asking questions.