After securing Cooper Flagg with the first pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks had huge hopes for the new season, expecting a fully healthy roster. However, things have gone drastically off-script, with the team facing a miserable 2-7 record that prompted franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki to deliver a clear, strong message about the struggling squad.
The injury bug that plagued the Mavericks last season has returned during the current campaign, leaving several key players, including Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively II, sidelined. They joined Kyrie Irving who is still recovering from a torn left ACL surgery and it’s expected to miss a huge part of the season.
Of the nine games played, Davis has missed four, Gafford five, and Lively six, creating a huge problem for coach Jason Kidd on the offensive end. In fact, the Mavericks are currently last in the league in offensive rating, although they rank sixth defensively.
Nowitzki appeared on Amazon’s “NBA on Prime” show during the team’s game against the Grizzlies and offered a candid assessment of the poor start. The German legend pointed to unfilled roster holes and the compounding effect of injuries as the biggest causes of the struggle.
“I feel bad for my Mavs fans. This has been a disastrous start,” the Mavs legend explained. “Obviously, there’s a hole at the point guard and playmaking position. We knew that hole wasn’t filled this summer. There’s a hole at shot creating, at shot making. We said, coming into the season, that health is big for them. Obviously, Kyrie is out for a couple more months”.
“But they need AD healthy, Lively healthy. Both of those guys have only been out for a while. Gafford has missed some games. They’re actually on pace to have a record-bad start on offense. They can’t shoot, they can’t make plays. It’s all going side-to-side, east-to-west; nobody can make shots. It’s been tough to watch,” he added.
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What’s next for Mavericks?
The Mavericks will attempt to reverse their slump tonight as they face the Washington Wizards (1-7), who are enduring a similarly poor start. For tonight’s game, Kidd is hoping for the return of Davis, who has missed the last four consecutive defeats.
For tonight’s game, both Davis (left calf strain) and Gafford (right ankle sprain) are listed as questionable on the injury report. However, Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery), Dereck Lively II (right knee sprain), Klay Thompson (illness), and Dante Exum (right knee injury management) are all out.
Following tonight’s game in Washington, the Mavericks will play a four-game homestand at the American Airlines Center, where they must capitalize on the home advantage to secure positive results.
They are set to face the Bucks on Monday, November 10th, the Suns on Wednesday, November 12th, the Clippers for the NBA Cup on Friday, November 14th, and will finish the stretch against the Blazers on Sunday, November 16th.
