This week’s question was direct: What’s been your favorite part of the season through the first 20 or so games?

Chris: Flagg’s development.

We’re not even a third of the way the season and he’s already shown he’s picking up on the differences of the NBA, particularly the physicality.

First 10 games: 13.9 PPG, 6.6 REB, 3.0 ASTLast 15 games: 18.3 PPG, 6.7 REB, 3.5 AST

Some of his improvement is also due to the end of the “point guard experiment.” The Mavericks are putting him at his natural position as a wing and he’s getting to his spots. I would like to see him take more shots, but it’s easy to forget his foremost talents are on the defensive side, which is what he was known for in his high school and college days.

But it can’t go without saying, that mid-range jumper around the free throw line is beautiful and not many wings have the strength or length to consistently challenge that shot.

He’s been working on his game and it shows. Once that 3-point shot starts falling, the league is in trouble.

Tyler: It’s the rookies. For everyone who got concerned about Flagg early in the season, I hope you’ve all calmed down and realized that he is simply a slow starter. It only happened at Montverde, and at Duke, and now here. He’s fine! And Ryan Nembhard, who I’m sure most of you are tired of hearing us say “I told you so” on. But hey, we told you so.

David: Number one is Nico Harrison getting fired. I know that is a bit of a lazy answer but it truly changed my entire outlook on the season. And Jason Kidd started playing better lineups after the firing! A close second is the emergence of Ryan Nembhard. I campaigned for him to start back in June and now to see him flourish in that role is very cool.

Bryan: Flagg, Christie and Nembhard. Cooper Flagg has been as advertised since moving back to forward full time. His confidence as an on-ball scorer in the clutch has grown and his comfort as an off-ball threat has as well. Max Christie exceeded my expectations for his season by the 5th game of the year as he’s been our most reliable knockdown shooter/POA defender until Klay’s recent return to form on offense. Ryan Nembhard, while a guy I was particularly stoked to add to this roster pre-draft, has truly been a revelation. He’s every bit the floor general he was billed as in college and a scorer willing to take what defenses give him in attempts to bottle up his higher profile teammates. Watching lineups featuring these three has been a joy that I hope to keep experiencing for years to come yet.

Brent: The best thing about this season is the drama. You can have so many justifiable opinions of this team. Want 1000 words on why the season should go the way of Tankathon? Easy. Want just as many on it, showing that things are trending upward? Equally doable.

This fanbase is not accustomed to irrelevant basketball and the yearning to see how much hay can be made this year is understandable amid the brightest stretch of the season. Yet ask yourself this—is the pursuit of maximum upside this season and an early playoff exit worth 8-12 spots lower in the final controlled first-round draft pick of the decade for the Mavericks?

Michael: My favorite part so far has been the general vibe change of late. That encompasses a number of things, but namely Cooper Flagg’s rapid development and Ryan Nembhard’s emergence. The team was utterly dysfunctional at the start of the season with a bizarre lineup, curious players taking on primary roles, and Flagg not getting necessary touches.

Suddenly, Flagg is the go-to guy in the clutch and Nembhard is running the team well above what you would expect from a rookie two-way player. The fact this is translating into wins and the team looks to be genuinely pulling for each other is nicer still. The dysfunctional group of guys without a true point guard has given way to an actual team that seems to genuinely pull for each other’s success. Dare I say it, but the Mavs are fun for the first time in almost a year, largely because of a soon-to-be 19 year old and a two-way player who has become a starter on an NBA roster.

Of course, there is a give-and-take here. It’s never good to breed underachievement into a team with an overt tanking effort, but this team would certainly benefit greatly from a high draft pick this summer. The latter seemed to be a guaranteed over the first month of the season, but not it appears the Mavs will be good enough to be bad. With any luck, the Mavs can find the balance of remaining fun while still securing a high draft pick this year and possibly pulling off a trade for draft capital in the future. Until whatever plays out, actually plays out, it’s awesome to see Flagg growing by significant increments while the team once again elicits some emotion for the first time in a while.

Kirk: I’ve really enjoyed how hard the Mavericks have played this season. Josh started pointing it out last February, but I was in such a funk I didn’t care. But seeing how they compete night after night has been nice. I watch as many games as I can and I watch the whole game if I can. That means that a competitive basketball game makes it watchable. So for that I’m grateful.