Training camp is almost here for the Dallas Mavericks, and the team is getting an earlier jump than most of the league because of two international preseason games against the Houston Rockets in Macau. Before that run begins, the Mavericks are being sized up position by position, and the shooting guard spot remains one of the clearest pressure points on the roster.
Last season’s problems in the backcourt went beyond one position. Kyrie Irving’s return gives Dallas a major lift at point guard, but the overall guard rotation still looks like the team’s biggest weakness heading into the year. The Mavericks have made plenty of moves at the two, yet the talent level there still feels thin.
Dallas moved on from Klay Thompson a few weeks ago after he gave back more than half of the salary he was owed so he could enter free agency now and sign with the Miami Heat. The Mavericks also sent A.J. Johnson to the Memphis Grizzlies, who quickly flipped him to the New Orleans Pelicans.
In their place, Dallas kept Max Christie and John Poulakidas on a two-way contract, while adding Zaccharie Risacher and Tarik Biberovic. Risacher has the build of a small forward, but with limited room there, he’s expected to log plenty of minutes at shooting guard.
The one thing this group does bring is shooting. That was the biggest issue for Dallas a year ago, and the new mix at least points in the right direction. Christie shot 40% from deep last season, Risacher hit 36.8%, and Biberovic knocked down nearly 50% of his threes in Europe.
Still, there’s a difference between having shooters and having proven talent. Christie looks more like a strong backup than a long-term answer, even if he’s the leading candidate to open the season as the starter. He started 68 games last year and posted a career-best 12.3 PPG.
Biberovic should also get a real look. He has hovered around 10 PPG in his last few seasons in Europe, and his shooting is good enough that it would be hard to keep him off the floor.
Risacher is the real swing piece. Dallas essentially got him for free, parting with only a second-round pick and the formerly undrafted Ryan Nembhard to land the former first overall pick.
In a normal draft class, he would have been viewed as a mid-lottery talent, but he still carries the highest ceiling of anyone in the group. If the Mavericks can unlock even a little of that upside, it could matter a lot for what comes next.
Caleb Martin is another name who could slide into minutes at shooting guard because of what he brings defensively, though his play has been rough since arriving in Dallas in the Quentin Grimes trade.
In Other News...
Dereck Lively Stands Between The Mavs And A Scary Young Frontcourt
The Mavericks have reason to feel better about their long-term frontcourt picture after watching young talent start to stack up around Cooper Flagg and Morez Johnson Jr. If those two continue to develop as expected, the idea of a big, athletic, modern trio starts to look less like a theory and more like a foundation. Dereck Lively II is the piece that could make it click, giving Dallas the rim protection, vertical spacing and defensive anchor that can let the others play off him.
Livelys value is obvious, but so is the uncertainty that comes with counting on him to stay on the floor. His health will shape how the Mavericks map out the next phase of the roster, especially with the teams direction still subject to change and Kyrie Irvings future part of that larger conversation. Dallas can imagine a frontcourt built around youth and size, but the path from promising idea to dependable core runs straight through Livelys availability. [Read more 🡒]
Kyrie Irvings Return Could Change Everything For Cooper Flagg
The Mavericks enter a very different stretch than the one Cooper Flagg experienced in his rookie season, with Masai Ujiri taking over as general manager and Dusty May now on the bench. Flagg already showed he can handle the spotlight, but the roster around him is shifting in ways that could make his second year look much different, especially with Kyrie Irving set to rejoin the mix after his injury absence and Zaccharie Risacher also being evaluated as part of the bigger picture.
Irving's return matters because Dallas is no longer trying to build around a lone young centerpiece. Flagg had to navigate his first season without that kind of veteran backcourt partner, and the Mavericks now believe Irving's presence can help ease some of the pressure on their rookie star while giving the offense another layer of creativity. The real question is how quickly the fit takes shape and whether the new-look roster can turn all that promise into something more than just a talented collection of moving parts. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Could Make A Crucial Hire After Last Season's Medical Shakeup
The Mavericks spent last season dealing with a medical setup that came under the microscope, so it makes sense they are looking hard at the people behind the scenes now. One name to watch is Nico Berg, who has emerged as a candidate for the teams head of medical operations job as Dallas evaluates how it wants to rebuild that side of the operation.
Berg is not a longtime NBA fixture, which adds some intrigue to the process. His only prior consulting work in the league came with Minnesota more than a decade ago, so the Mavericks would be betting on a relatively fresh outside voice to help shape an area that can have as much impact on a season as any move on the roster. [Read more 🡒]