A week into the NBA season, the Dallas Mavericks sit at 2-2, with wins over the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat and losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
That record leaves them exactly where a lot of teams find themselves this early: still sorting out what’s real, what’s noise, and which pieces are already pulling their weight. In Dallas, the early read starts with the backcourt depth behind Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks knew they would have to be careful with Irving as he works his way back from his ACL injury, even if that was 600 days ago, and they also knew the options behind him were unproven at the NBA level.
That’s part of why they traded for Marcus Sasser, drafted Sergio De Larrea, and signed Walter Clayton Jr. to a two-way deal after the Grizzlies waived him, even though he was a first-round pick a year ago. So far, all three have flashed.
Sasser has already stacked together useful scoring nights, putting up 17 points against the Rockets and 12 against the Spurs. He started the season 8/14 from three, then went 0/2 against the Heat and is now at 8/16 overall.
De Larrea hasn’t logged a huge workload, but he made his presence felt against San Antonio on Saturday with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists while shooting 9/15 from the field and 3/4 from deep.
Clayton had mostly been in mop-up duty before breaking through Monday against Miami. He finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, and he did it efficiently, going 6/7 from the floor and 2/2 from three.
If one of those three can give Dallas something most nights, the Mavericks suddenly look a lot deeper than expected.
The other guard situation worth watching is Max Christie, who entered the year with plenty of buzz and even some fan frustration that he didn’t get an extension. Through four games, though, the numbers haven’t been friendly.
He’s averaging 9.3 points per game and shooting 30.4% from three. It’s still early and he’s adjusting to a new system, but the opening stretch has not been encouraging.
Zaccharie Risacher has his offensive rough patches, but his defense can swing things for the group. At this point, it may make sense to start him over Christie.
P.J. Washington, meanwhile, looks much more comfortable than he did last season next to Cooper Flagg.
There were real concerns about how the fit would work, and those concerns were fair, but this year has started differently. Washington is averaging 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds through four games, and the role looks cleaner and more direct than it did with Jason Kidd.
Dusty May wants him stationed in the corner, attacking the offensive glass, and keeping the ball moving. Washington may not be an elite shooter, but he’s good enough to make defenses stay honest, and the simplified usage has fit him well. He’s trending toward living up to the four-year, $88.2 million deal he signed last year.
On the other end of the roster, Moussa Cisse is looking less and less playable. He was always a development project, but after everything the Mavericks went through to keep him, they needed him to be usable.
That hasn’t happened. Against the Heat on Monday, he didn’t play at all, even with Daniel Gafford picking up his fifth foul in the third quarter and fouling out in the fourth, Morez Johnson Jr. dealing with foul trouble early, and Washington forced to play center.
Cisse has not reached 10 total minutes this season, and his path gets even tighter once Santi Aldama and Dereck Lively II return from injury. There’s even a realistic route where he gets waived to make room for Clayton.
And then there’s Cooper Flagg, who has wasted no time looking every bit the star people expected. He opened with 32 points against Houston, had 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in the first half against Indiana before leaving with an injury, and then followed that with 29 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals, and 3 blocks against Miami on Monday.
He’s already producing at an All-NBA level, and the way he’s going, that arrow is still pointing straight up.
In Other News...
Mavericks Face A Telling Risacher Decision As Deadline Nears
The Mavericks are facing an important early-season roster call with Zaccharie Risacher, whose rookie-scale option for the 2027-28 season still has not been exercised. Dallas has until Monday to make the decision, and the timing adds another layer to a start that has already been uneven for the young wing, who has struggled with his shooting but has also shown value at the other end with strong numbers in steals and blocks.
For a team trying to sort out its long-term core, the choice carries real weight because it speaks to how much faith Dallas has in Risachers development right now versus what it wants to see before committing further down the line. The Mavericks are not alone in monitoring roster health and personnel movement around the league either, with Houston expected to be without Alperen Sengun for multiple games because of a mild back strain and Memphis guard Ty Jerome opening the fall strongly after his calf injury recovery, but Dallas focus remains on whether this is the right moment to lock in Risacher for the future. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Face Another Injury Headache With Thunder Also Shorthanded
The Mavericks are headed into another matchup with a familiar kind of uncertainty, only this time the Thunder are dealing with it too. Oklahoma City has several names on its injury report, with season-ending absences already in place for Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace, while Ajay Mitchell is questionable after an ankle issue. Dallas is juggling its own list of questionable, doubtful and out players, which has become an all-too-familiar backdrop as it tries to keep its rotation stable.
One of the bigger questions for Dallas is Kyrie Irving, who is on the report with a left knee injury. The Thunder will also be short-handed in the frontcourt, with Chet Holmgren unavailable because of right knee patellar tendinitis, adding another wrinkle to a game that already carries more injury drama than usual. For the Mavericks, the concern is less about one night than about how often they keep having to adjust on the fly while the roster continues to change from game to game. [Read more 🡒]
Kyrie Irving's Future Is Back In The Spotlight For Mavericks Fans
The early buzz around Kyrie Irvings future is back in focus for Mavericks fans, and it comes at a time when the Western Conference is already looking crowded. Houston has opened its season 3-0 and has the kind of start that can make rivals take notice, especially if the Rockets decide they want to turn a hot beginning into a bigger swing at contention.
Insiders have started floating the idea that Houston could be a team to watch if Irvings situation in Dallas shifts again, with the fit alongside Kevin Durant naturally adding to the intrigue. For Mavericks fans, the most relevant part is not the rumor itself but what it could mean if Irving ever pushes for a change and Dallas has to decide how much it is willing to do to help shape the next move. [Read more 🡒]