Preseason Game 1: Dallas Mavericks (0-0) vs. OKC (1-0) | 7:30pm CST

[Knutsen]

Our bench five when everyone’s healthy is really good, isn’t it?

D-Lo
Christie
Marshall
PJ
Gafford

You could argue that they all could be starters on a lot of teams, couldn’t you? Will come in handy with our very injury prone starters in Kyrie, AD and Lively.

[Chicagojk]

True, and a few more real NBA players behind that bench.  Tough to play a 10 man rotation.   In that grouping is Marshall the odd man out?

[F Gump]

1 We have heard Flagg's really good on defense, but we got to see what that looks like, and he is going to be quite a menace. Quick, big, fast, long, good feel for what the offense is doing, can cover ground quickly, and great timing. If he's guarding you, you will have a hard time getting the shot off, and if not, he comes out of nowhere to block and bother shots. He is going to make opposing players hesitant. I don't know if the Mavs have ever had a player like this.

2 It was unfortunate the Mavs only had one NBA-caliber PG available (who only played about 15 mins). Besides Kyrie, they also lacked both BW and Exum (EDIT - oh, and DSJ was out also, I forgot about him entirely, and it might have been a great opportunity for him if he was available). As a result, Hardy was the first PG sub, but fairly bad. Nembhard (in the 2nd half, with the deep backups) looked undersized and very far away from ready to provide meaningful minutes. Lots of different players brought the ball up the floor, however, and they tended to run a lot and get into their offense fairly quickly, which is good.

[Knutsen]

1 We have heard Flagg's really good on defense, but we got to see what that looks like, and he is going to be quite a menace. Quick, big, fast, long, good feel for what the offense is doing, can cover ground quickly, and great timing. If he's guarding you, you will have a hard time getting the shot off, and if not, he comes out of nowhere to block and bother shots. He is going to make opposing players hesitant. I don't know if the Mavs have ever had a player like this.

2 It was unfortunate the Mavs only had one NBA-caliber PG available (who only played about 15 mins). Besides Kyrie, they also lacked both BW and Exum. Hardy was the first PG sub, but fairly bad. Nembhard looked undersized and very far away from ready to provide meaningful minutes. Lots of different players brought the ball up the floor, however, and they tended to run a lot and get into their offense fairly quickly, which is good.

Who is the best versatile defender the Mavs ever had, that we know who we measure him against - Shawn Matrix Marion…?

[Knutsen]

True, and a few more real NBA players behind that bench.  Tough to play a 10 man rotation.   In that grouping is Marshall the odd man out?

I don’t think so - or at least he will get every chance to prove himself. Reason is he‘s the best ball handler of our non-point guards and ballhandling is our biggest weakness after Luka and without Kyrie, isn’t it?

[michaeltex]

Thoughts based on one preseason game...

Flagg feels like he's going to live up to the hype, at a minimum. Makes contributions everywhere without having to dominate the ball. Patient and let the game come to him.

Lively looked pretty damn good. Didn't see him and AD getting into a traffic jam when playing together.

Happy to see Christie highlighted some. Seems like he disappeared late last season, but maybe he was just lost in the shuffle after the TRADE and subsequent injuries.

I liked Cisse's energy and contribution. If it keeps up, then it would be less painful losing Gaff in a TDL blockbuster, but that's pure speculation and more data is needed..

I keep having THJ flashbacks watching Hardy play. Something of a black hole whenever he gets the ball, doesn't do much on defense. He's clogging up the roster right now. Williams and Exum playing should nail him to the bench.

BTW, really disappointed in Exum's absence. They say the best ability is availability, but he (for whatever reason, personal or physical) is falling short.

[mvossman]

Our bench five when everyone’s healthy is really good, isn’t it?

D-Lo
Christie
Marshall
PJ
Gafford

You could argue that they all could be starters on a lot of teams, couldn’t you? Will come in handy with our very injury prone starters in Kyrie, AD and Lively.

This is the way I see it right now:

Stars:  AD, Kyrie

Starter level:  PJ, Lively, Flagg (guess)

Edge starter/6th man:  Klay, Gafford, Dlo

Rotational: Naji, Max, Exum

Deep bench: Williams, Hardy, Martin, Powell

Its a deep team but light on creation and POA defense.  I think they will eventually need to trade for a starter quality player (or better) that can help fill those gaps.  The best chance for organic improvement is Flagg (obviously), Max, Williams and Martin.

[Jym]

I forgot Caleb Martin existed 
Is there a reason he was in street clothes at the end of the bench? Wasn't he healthy?

[F Gump]

I forgot Caleb Martin existed 
Is there a reason he was in street clothes at the end of the bench? Wasn't he healthy?

Apparently there was an issue (perhaps a slight injury?) with Martin, but 'did not dress (no explanation given)' was true of others as well (Exum, DSJ), so no way to know for sure. It certainly felt like an Opportunity Lost for all 3 to show something, and seems odd, but preseason games tend to be a weird duck, so I am not reading much into it.

[Chicagojk]

I loved seeing Wallace pressure Cooper full court.  Not every team can do it, but I would assume if they could they are going to try to pressure the Mavs.   It was nice to see him pretty comfortble doing this, although teams are going to make him prove he can do it succcessufly.  

I am sure there are more things I want to see this year, but Cooper's creation is top of my list.  If he can really be a lead creator it will open up so many different routes moving forward.   Another thing I will be watching for is AD and Lively's pairing.   This is also another huge thing that if it works opens up a ton of avenues.

[F Gump]

I loved seeing Wallace pressure Cooper full court.  Not every team can do it, but I would assume if they could they are going to try to pressure the Mavs.   It was nice to see him pretty comfortable doing this, although teams are going to make him prove he can do it successfully

I am sure there are more things I want to see this year, but Cooper's creation is top of my list.  If he can really be a lead creator it will open up so many different routes moving forward.   Another thing I will be watching for is AD and Lively's pairing. This is also another huge thing that if it works opens up a ton of avenues.

Good points. CF had no real issues with pressure, or with creating offense. I noticed one play where he brought the ball up the floor against pressure, took the defender to the lane which drew 1-2 more defenders, and he hit a wide open C (maybe it was Powell) for the dunk. 

He really did it all. He played off ball, on ball, defended, rebounded, you name it, and did it all well. 

One other thing is that showed up in this game, and also some comments by the TV guys, he apparently is in incredible shape, able to go all day vs anyone without stopping. Considering he is only 18, and at THIS level of play in his first game (if he wasn't the best player on the floor, he was close), it's amazing to consider what he can become.

[Winter]

Agree with above. Another thing I liked was all the cutting and moving. Especially Lively moving back and forth. No one was going to hold the ball for long in this offense.

I couldn't really tell if I was wishing Flagg was the best player of the court or I was actually seeing it. But he looked awfully good. The play where he was rushed by two defenders and hit
Powell (as FG mentioned above) really looked like something he had seen a million times. We'll see Flagg make that play every game.