{"id":458303,"date":"2026-02-14T23:13:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T23:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/458303\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T23:13:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T23:13:18","slug":"how-did-cooper-flagg-mavericks-grade-out-in-first-half-of-2025-26-nba-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/458303\/","title":{"rendered":"How did Cooper Flagg, Mavericks grade out in first half of 2025-26 NBA season?"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES \u2014 While some may consider the NBA All-Star break<\/a> the midway point of the season, most teams have already eclipsed the 41-game mark.<\/p>\n

That includes the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>, who are 19-35 through the first 54 games of the regular season. Dallas is on the outside of the play-in picture, seemingly destined for another year in the draft lottery. <\/p>\n

However, there have been several positive stories this season, starting with Cooper Flagg<\/a>, the current favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award. The emergence of Naji Marshall<\/a> and Max Christie<\/a> as reliable complementary players has also been a pleasant surprise.<\/p>\n

Injuries have plagued the Mavericks this season. Kyrie Irving<\/a> has yet to play this season while recovering from ACL surgery and Dereck Lively II<\/a> was limited to just seven games before his third season was abruptly ended because of right foot surgery.<\/p>\n

Mavericks<\/p>\n

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By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the rest of the Mavericks, in alphabetical order, graded out in the first half of the season:<\/p>\n

Max Christie: A-<\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t more you can ask for from Christie in his fourth season.<\/p>\n

Christie has been one of the most consistent Mavericks in a season plagued by inconsistency. He\u2019s only missed four games and has proven to be a complementary part of the franchise\u2019s new rebuild.<\/p>\n

The Mavericks are one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA, 29th in total makes and last in efficiency (34.2%), but that doesn\u2019t fall on Christie. He\u2019s one of the best 3-point shooters in the league, making 42.6% his triples. Even when opposing defenders run him off the line, he\u2019s able to convert on pull up midrange jumpers.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie (00) lays up a shot against New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III (25) during the second half at the American Airlines in Dallas, November 5, 2025. The Mavericks lost to the Pelicans, 101-99.<\/p>\n

Tom Fox \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Cooper Flagg: A<\/p>\n

Flagg\u2019s rookie year is on pace to go down as one of the best in NBA history.<\/p>\n

Through 49 games, he\u2019s averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals.<\/p>\n

Flagg has checked every major box so far. He\u2019s proven to be a scorer. He defends at a high level. His finishing ability is strong, which complements a reliable midrange game. Even his 3-point shooting has steadily improved.<\/p>\n

Flagg benefitted from a rocky start as the team\u2019s starting point guard, but those reps have begun to pay off.<\/p>\n

He scored a career-high 49 points against the Charlotte Hornets last month which set the record for the most points by a teenager in NBA history, which further proved he\u2019s someone the Mavericks should build around for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

The Flagg era<\/a> has officially begun.<\/p>\n

Daniel Gafford: C-<\/p>\n

The Mavericks haven\u2019t been healthy since the first day of training camp, which marked the start of an injury plagued season for Gafford. The veteran big man suffered a sprained right ankle that kept him out of training camp, preseason and the first five games of the season.<\/p>\n

Since then, Gafford hasn\u2019t been able to find his footing and has re-aggravated the injury several times since, including Thursday when he left Dallas\u2019 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gafford is producing his lowest scoring average (8.0) since his sophomore season, to go with a dip in rebounds (6.5) alongside career-lows in blocks (1.3) and field goal percentage (63.2%). The ill-timed sprain has been a constant presence, so hopefully the All-Star break allows Gafford time to heal up for the final 28 games of the season.<\/p>\n

Naji Marshall: A-<\/p>\n

Marshall\u2019s second year in a Mavericks uniform has become his best overall season since entering the NBA.<\/p>\n

The two-way wing is arguably their second-most important player this season and has developed into one of their most consistent scorers. Marshall can initiate offense and make plays for others or himself. Whenever he needs a bucket, he relies on his signature floater that he creates by using his ability to get inside the paint.<\/p>\n

Marshall\u2019s 3-point shooting could be significantly better at 30.8%, but he\u2019s overplayed the value of his team-friendly contract that expires at the end of next season.<\/p>\n

Caleb Martin: C-<\/p>\n

Martin is the type of player who needs consistent playing time to catch a rhythm and provide valuable production on the floor. He wasn\u2019t offered that privilege early in the season, which led to moments of uncertainty and his inefficiency.<\/p>\n

However, since the calendar turned to 2026, the seventh-year veteran has played significantly well on both ends of the floor. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has several other options at Martin\u2019s position, but he\u2019s earned a rotation spot and provides effort, especially when the team is playing shorthanded.<\/p>\n

Dwight Powell: B<\/p>\n

There was an expectation last summer when Powell opted into his player option for this season that he would serve as the emergency center option since the Mavericks were deep in the frontcourt with Gafford, Lively and Anthony Davis.<\/p>\n

Injuries have forced the Mavericks to rely on Powell more than anticipated. After starting just three games last season, the veteran big man has seven starts in 40 games this season. What\u2019s even more impressive is the fact that Dallas has a 6-1 record in those games.<\/p>\n

Powell won\u2019t have routine 18-point performances as he did on Oct. 29 in a win over Indiana, but he provides effort and readiness every time he steps on the floor.<\/p>\n

Klay Thompson: B<\/p>\n

The circumstances aren\u2019t what Thompson signed up for, but he\u2019s done an admirable job of adapting to what the Mavericks have become over the last two seasons.<\/p>\n

Thompson is in the twilight of his career and is still one of the deadliest shooters in the NBA. He\u2019s connecting on a career-low 37%, but is one of the team\u2019s most reliable shooters next to Christie. <\/p>\n

As long as either are on the floor, the Mavericks will have a floor spacer to pair next to Flagg.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) and Dallas Mavericks center Moussa Cisse (30) react after Washington (25) missed a free throw, during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks at American Airlines Center, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Chitose Suzuki \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

PJ Washington: C<\/p>\n

Fans have yet to see the version of Washington that played his way into a four-year extension last season. Despite similar averages of 14.1 points and 7.0 rebounds, there has been a slight decline in Washington\u2019s overall field goal efficiency (44.7%) and a major drop-off from the 3-point line. He\u2019s averaging a career-low 30.4% from beyond the arc this season. <\/p>\n

Washington has made a slight improvement on defense, especially as a rim protector, but there\u2019s more room for Washington to regain his footing during the final quarter of the season.<\/p>\n

Brandon Williams: B-<\/p>\n

There was a glaring hole at the point guard position left by the absence of Irving that was supposed to be filled by a combination of Williams, D\u2019Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum. The latter three guards are no longer on the roster and Williams is the last man standing among the group.<\/p>\n

Williams is a consistent rotation player for the first time in his four seasons and has proven capable of scoring in bunches. He has seven performances of at least 20 points. He\u2019s one of the fastest players in the NBA and can get downhill and finish at the basket in a way reminiscent of Irving.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s averaging nearly a career-high of 12.7 points with 3.7 assists per game. The biggest area of improvement is his 3-point shooting as he\u2019s only making 22.1% of his attempts from beyond the arc this season. He\u2019s a capable shooter, evident by his 40% clip from last season, but Williams could be a more complete offensive player if he finds consistency from the perimeter.<\/p>\n

Players without grades: Kyrie Irving (injured), Dereck Lively II (injured), Marvin Bagley III (recently acquired), Tyus Jones (recently acquired), Khris Middleton (recently acquired), AJ Johnson (recently acquired), Moussa Cisse (two-way), Miles Kelly (two-way), Ryan Nembhard (two-way).<\/p>\n

X: @MikeACurtis2<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Members<\/a>Former Baylor star V.J. Edgecombe leads Team Vince to Rising Stars win, claims MVP<\/a><\/p>\n

Edgecombe, a rookie phenom for Philadelphia, stood tall in the showcase of the NBA\u2019s young talent.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>Dallas Mavericks veteran Klay Thompson signs lifetime ANTA deal<\/a><\/p>\n

Thompson has sold more than 10 million signature shoes during his 12-year partnership with ANTA, which also has an endorsement deal with Kyrie Irving.<\/p>\n

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES \u2014 While some may consider the NBA All-Star break the midway point of the season, most…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":458304,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5117],"tags":[7645,196,5047,147,5278,5,2291,555,4,43,197],"class_list":{"0":"post-458303","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-stars","8":"tag-cooper-flagg","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-dallas-mavericks","11":"tag-dallas-stars","12":"tag-dallasstars","13":"tag-hockey","14":"tag-mavericks","15":"tag-nba","16":"tag-nhl","17":"tag-sports","18":"tag-stars"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116071525366939128","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}