The Dallas Mavericks (4-12) are navigating a tough period this season, struggling with a disastrous start defined by institutional problems—including the firing of General Manager Nico Harrison—and internal issues stemming from injuries and poor performance. According to recent reports, the poor results are bringing more problems to the surface, and it appears the locker room is highly dissatisfied with the attitude of D’Angelo Russell.
According to a report by Ashish Mathur of the Dallas Hoops Journal, teammates are reportedly irritated by Russell’s lack of commitment in practice and lackadaisical effort on defense during games.
“He [D’Angelo Russell] signed with the Mavericks in the offseason and has already rubbed several teammates the wrong way with his approach in practice and lackadaisical effort on defense,” Mathur reported.
Amid this bad news for the Mavericks, reports indicate that major changes are imminent. The team are reportedly exploring trade options involving Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson, and Russell himself, as reporteded by Mathur.
D’angelo Russell during an NBA game with the Dallas Mavericks. (Getty Images)
Russell was brought to the team in the offseason to provide ball-handling depth and off-ball spacing alongside rookie Cooper Flagg, primarily to mitigate the absence of Kyrie Irving. However, his performance has been well below expectations. Through 16 games (13 off the bench), he averages 10.2 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.3 rebounds on 39.9% field goal and 25.6% three-point shooting in 22.2 minutes.
Russell’s lack of defense exposed by Mike Brown
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Russell’s lack of defensive effort was publicly exposed by New York Knicks coach Mike Brown during the Mavericks’ recent 111-113 loss at the American Airlines Center—a clip that quickly went viral.
During a timeout, Brown was speaking to his players when cameras caught the coach explicitly instructing his team to continue targeting Russell on offense. “Gotta string some stops together…Box out…And again, we gotta keep finding DLo,” Brown instructed his players.
The Knicks coach was clearly referencing Russell, and by saying “keep finding,” he was urging his team to continue challenging the guard in attack, signaling that his defense was one of the weakest links in the game.
