The Dallas Mavericks already know how to run. The next step is making sure they have more chances to do it.
Even with a bottom-five offensive rating, Dallas was one of the better transition teams in the league last season, finishing sixth in transition points and second in transition points per possession. That’s a strong foundation. But the Mavericks still have room to climb, and the path is pretty clear: force more turnovers.
That was the part of the equation Dallas struggled with most. The Mavericks ranked 24th in steals and opponents’ turnovers per game last season, which meant they were mostly creating their own fast-break chances instead of getting them off live-ball mistakes. Teams like the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and Minnesota Timberwolves were doing the opposite, each forcing at least 15.0 turnovers per game while also landing among the top 10 in transition points per game.
Dallas, in other words, was already dangerous once the break was on. It just wasn’t generating enough chaos to trigger that break often enough.
That problem has been around for a while. The Mavericks haven’t finished in the top half of the league in turnovers forced since Rick Carlisle was head coach in 2016-17, and under Jason Kidd they were usually stuck 20th or worse in steals and opponent turnovers.
Now the coaching picture has changed, with Dusty May taking over after leading the Michigan Wolverines to an NCAA Championship a season ago. But even with that new voice, there’s not much reason to expect Dallas to suddenly become a turnover machine.
May’s Michigan team ranked 11th in the Big Ten in steals and eighth in opponents’ turnovers per game, so the defensive side of the ball may not be where his biggest imprint shows up right away. Still, the Mavericks don’t need to sit back and wait for a miracle. They can push for more steals by being more aggressive.
Dallas ranked 25th in pick-and-roll ball-handler turnover percentage last season, so there’s a simple place to start: blitz more, trap more, and put more pressure on ball-handlers to cough it up. The Mavericks also have the size and length to crowd passing lanes and stir up more mistakes. They just didn’t do it often enough last season.
That’s where the revamped staff matters. May brings the offensive track record to keep Dallas moving in the right direction in transition, while Willie Green and Garrett Temple could help reshape the defensive approach.
Green’s New Orleans Pelicans ranked in the top 10 in forced turnovers in three of his four full seasons as head coach, and Temple built his NBA career as a gritty defensive presence. That mix could nudge Dallas toward a more disruptive style.
And the Mavericks already have players who can cash in if the turnovers come. Cooper Flagg stands out as one of the better one-man fast breaks in the league, ranking 13th in transition points per game and seventh in field goal percentage among the 38 players with at least 4.0 transition possessions per game. Naji Marshall and Max Christie were also strong in transition opportunities.
The interesting part is that all three were around league average in steal percentage. That’s the real opening here. If Dallas’ best transition players can help create just a few more extra possessions, the payoff could be real.
It’s a simple idea, but not an easy one: force more turnovers, get more chances to run, score more in transition. The Mavericks already have the base. What’s left is unlocking the next level.
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 🡒]