Mavericks Basketball Feels Different Lately…

I can’t believe I’m going to say this considering how the season started, but lately for me, the Dallas Mavericks have been one of my go-to teams to watch on League Pass. They’ve been a lot of fun recently. Cooper Flag is finding his way after a tough start. You could tell he’s starting to figure out how to get his game off consistently at the next level. Last 10 games, he’s averaging 20 points while shooting 50% from the field. a big improvement from his first 14 games where he was averaging 15 points per game while shooting 45% from the field. Lately, he’s really been finding his groove in the mid-range, in the paint, and the restricted area, shooting efficiently. That’s his bread and butter, the three-point line shot clearly is a work in progress. However, the craziest thing for me to wrap my brain around is he’s only 18 years old. In 9 days, he will be 19. But you see him pushing around grown men because he’s 6’10 with a 7 foot wingspan. That’s what sets him apart physically. He’s already above most of the NBA. And that gives him major versatility defensively. You will see him guarding pretty much every position throughout a game. Just take a look here. He forces Pascal Seakum into a tough outofcrol floater. Next up, John Morant. He takes away the three, cuts off his drive, and gets a solid contest off. Now Kevin Durant tries to ISO him. Aggressive close out from him. That will actually affect the shot. Great job avoiding the landing space foul as well. Trey Murphy is his next victim. He comes up with a block this time on the step back three. Washed version of CJ McCollum. Has no interest in driving. So he forces a horrible long two. Very, very short. Back to Pascal Seiakum. Notice he makes them work. you aren’t getting easy layups and one strength playing in Dallas. Even when he gets blown by, he will have rim protection behind him. Dallas Mavericks over the entire season have the seventh best defensive rating. As a rookie, Cooper Flag has played a role in that. He reminds me so much of Jason Tatum. Not stylewise, but in terms of impact. At his peak, he will win you games in a variety of ways. defense, scoring, and even rebounding the basketball. You can just tell when it’s all said and done, Cooper Flag is going to be a master of all the little things that involve winning. And you saw in all these clips, he went from guarding John Morant to Pascal freaking Seakum. That’s versatility. Also, Ryan Nemhard has been unleashed. A big problem for them early in the season was their offense, and it kind of still is. 108.6 6 offensive rating, second worst in the NBA, currently only behind the Washington Wizards. However, with Nemhard on the court, the Mavericks have 115.1 offensive rating, which ranks them in the middle of the pack. And during their winning stretch, that’s where they’ve been offensively. I believe his scoring and playmaking punch has given them a chance on that end of the floor. He’s been making every momentum changing shot as well. Crazy efficiency right now. 56% from the field and 53% from three. I don’t want to doubt my guy, but at some point that has to go down a bit. He’s on a hot streak. He’s also dishing and dying. But the most important thing, he’s not turning the ball over. Last 10 games, he’s averaging 6.9 assists per game to only 1.1 turnover per game. Stats aside, he’s a great watch. First off, he’s listed at 5’11. So naturally, you want to vote for that undersized guard in a league with unicorns, but he also has that Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry toughness in my opinion about him where he doesn’t back down and tries his best to not get pushed around. Trust me, he’s just easy to root for and entertaining. Just take a look. Miscommunication from the Clippers. He takes the space, stops on a dime, wicked behind the back. Nothing but net. He’s so damn quick. Gets to his spot in a blink of an eye off this screen. Jamal Murray just can’t keep up. Speeding in transition. Slick behind the back. Slow up. Then boom again. Burst to the basket. Sweet left hand finish. Defender anticipating the screen. Take this crossover. Slow up again. Then just whiz through traffic and pass Joic. That’s so pretty. And he has that range step back three from fourpoint range on the logo. Nothing but net. Are you kidding me? I’m telling you, he’s mustwatch TV. I just proved it to you. Anthony Davis has found his way back on the court. Hopefully, it can stay that way. Knock on wood. If you are a Mavericks fan, it’s best that he stays on the court because it helps you win games. if you’re interested in that, but also if you’re not interested in that, you’re focused on the future, it will help up his trade value. But clearly, he gives them more of a chance every single night. Last two seasons for the Mavericks, he has played 19 games so far. They have an 11 and8 record. Nothing special, but you get the point. Just like Ryan Demhard, he’s a big part of why they have been a middle-ofthe-pack offense all of a sudden. 19.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.2 to assist and 1.6 blocks per game. And with him, you can give him the rock and he can, you know, create offense. He’s also been working well in the pick and roll with their guards. And through this stretch, they’re not just beating bad competition. They have some good wins. Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and the Houston Rockets. Only four wins against above 500 competition on the season. All the wins took place with Anthony Davis in the lineup. zero without him. Guess what? Something to pay attention to moving forward for this team. Whether we should actually take them serious or it’s a lost season and we’re just watching the young guys have fun. Their next eight games, four bad teams, Brooklyn, Utah, New Orleans, Sacramento. Four quality opponents, Detroit, Philly, Denver, Golden State. The Mavericks have a chance to continue this hot stretch. That’s what I’m keeping an eye on moving forward. Another thing about this team that I appreciate lately is they’ve been getting it done as a group. They have eight players averaging double figures in the last eight games. They include Brandon Williams at 10.7, Max Christie 11.5, Ryan Nemhard 13, Klay Thompson 13.4, Naji Marshall 14.6, PJ Washington 18, Anthony Davis 18.4, and then of course Cooper Flag 20.2. I talked about Ryan Nemhard taking care of the basketball, but also Brandon Williams in the past 10 games off the bench, 5.3 assists per game and just averaging 1.8 turnovers while also giving them 10.7 points per game. Anthony Davis is averaging 4.2 assists per game in the last 10, only 1.2 turnovers. In the beginning of the season, they were one of the teams that was turning the ball over the most. And it’s probably because most of their minutes they didn’t have a point guard out there. They were relying on an 18-year-old Cooper Flag to run the show. And quite frankly, maybe it helps out his development, but he just wasn’t ready for that. That’s not what he’s great at. But I’m telling you guys, this team is up to something. I don’t know if it’s for real, but lately they’ve been playing winning basketball, and to me, they just feel more than a tanking team. Look at the teams ahead of them. Memphis Grizzlies, I think they’re better than them when they’re healthy. I would still put Golden State ahead of them when that team’s healthy. They’re really old and they’re struggling throughout the regular season, though. Phoenix Suns, I think, are just off to a hot start, but I don’t see like them being way above the Mavericks. My point is what seemed like a lost season, now at least you’re probably going to get a playing game and you can see Cooper Flag in a real legit playoff atmosphere and that’s great for his development. That’s all I got though. Let me know your thoughts below. Do you agree? Has Dallas been entertaining you? All that good stuff. Leave it below. Leave a like and subscribe. Check out my other videos. Have yourself a great day and peace out.

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21 comments

  4. Flagg was measured at just under 6" 8". That probably puts him at the height of Magic Johnson, and an inch shorter than Larry Bird. But he doesn't have the skill set of either of these players. I would put him in the category of Detlef Schrempf, which is not bad. Same standing reach.

  6. They're starting to build some chemistry, that's what it is. As a Mavs fan, I can see the first days that Coop was too shy to take shots. Now everyone is feeling comfortable with one another. Coop and AD seemed closer too, sometimes you can see them laugh together in games. Damn, I just can't wait for Kyrie to come back.

  8. People are just not that smart lately. The Mavs struggled early bc they played Flagg out of position and had no point guard. This team has been deadly all year. A healthy Mavs can challenge anyone.

  9. How crazy would it be if the Mavericks limp into the playoffs, beat the Thunder, and then win the Championship. Nico would be vindicated LOL!

  10. Mavericks is team basketball on both sides of the floor
    contrast it with lakers, its LUKA ball, its not fun to watch, and mavs fans know what I'm talking about
    if they don't they've always been luka stans

  14. 6 games in a row for AD…if you get more consistency from him…get the value and trade. Build for 5 years…coop will be 23-24 and still have a 10 year window of prime performance

  16. Another issue they were having was Dlive didn’t fit because it clogged the paint for AD and Cooper. Then you would have lineups where there would be 1 shooter.
    Klay moving to the bench has helped a lot.
    But the most important thing is that they have found health.
    The losing was way overblown in terms of determining how good or bad this team was. 14 clutch gam losses coming from 2024 where they were most clutch team and the clutch player on the team is Kyrie. If the clutch leader had been Luka then it would affirm they aren’t that good. But Kyrie led league in 2nd half scoring 20ppg and 4th q scoring.

  17. Cooper plays harder on defense than Tatum and is more aesthetically pleasing to watch offensively (though not yet as good). They're both boring personalities, but at least Cooper has hope to grow out of that. I don't need to hear Tatum say anything else at this point.

  21. The N B A is a funny league, at the start of the season some teams are at their peak but as the season grows on they start to fade a bit and some of the lower teams climb as their young players get experience, the Mavs are in that second group. People think Dallas got ripped on the Luka trade but A D is the second best big in the league after Nikola

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