This collaboration with @parker_lew82007 breaks down how a season that once looked promising has rapidly fallen apart. Dallas entered the year with high expectations, but as Parker highlighted, everything began collapsing before the season even took shape.
On paper, the Mavericks looked ready:
- Kyrie Irving still elite
- Anthony Davis anchoring the defense
- Cooper Flagg showing generational flashes
- Dereck Lively progressing into an elite rim-runner
But basketball never stays on paper.
The Point Guard Disaster
With Kyrie unavailable until after Christmas, Dallas entered the season without a true floor general. They hoped D’Angelo Russell would be the stabilizer.
Instead, they got the D’Lo that has frustrated every team he’s ever joined:
- Brilliant one night
- Invisible the next
- High turnovers
- Low defensive engagement
- Zero rhythm control
Without a steady initiator, the entire offense fractured.
The Cooper Flagg Misuse
This is one of the biggest issues @parker_lew82007 raised: and he was right.
Dallas didn’t “fail” Flagg.
They miscast him.
Flagg thrives as:
- A cutter
- A slasher
- A downhill attacker
- A defensive playmaker
- A movement scorer
Instead, he was forced to play extended minutes at point guard, hovering around the three-point line, initiating offenses he wasn’t ready for.
This wasn’t developmental.
It was survival, and it hurt his impact.
AD and Lively: The Injury Spiral
Anthony Davis has been elite when available, but his availability keeps disappearing. Without him, Dallas lost:
- Rim protection
- Defensive identity
- Interior scoring
- Matchup versatility
Dereck Lively missing time only compounded the issue.
And even when he did play, he wasn’t the same without a GOOD Point Guard feeding him:
- He’s a finisher, not a creator.
- Without structure, his value dipped sharply.
Which is exactly what happened.
Can Dallas Save the Season?
Possibly, but the fixes aren’t small:
- Acquire a real point guard
- Restore Flagg’s role as a movement scorer
- Get AD and Lively healthy
- Rebuild offensive structure
That’s a lot to solve in one season.
Dallas isn’t a failed team, they’re a mismanaged one stuck in an injury storm.
Unless Dallas rebuild the foundation, this year may become a painful “what if.”
