If I were to be completely honest and take the Mavs fan blinders off and breakdown each of the 10 players under contract next year it would be something like this:
Kyrie Irving - Guard. Elite-level starter before ACL tear. Injury prone. Age concerns (34). Undersized. Below average defender. Good short-term solution at Guard, especially on the offensive end, but will have a player option the following year for $42.4M. I don't have a high level of confidence that he will be a Maverick past this upcoming season.
Klay Thompson - Wing. Elite-level shooter off the bench. Ideal role is 15-18 MPG. Below average defender. Age concerns (36). Is an expiring and not in any long-term plans for the Flagg build.
Daniel Gafford - Big. Capable starter but thrives in a PnR heavy offense. Limited defensively, outside of rim protection. Under contract through the 28-29 season. Still just 27 years old. Could be a fit with Flagg if the Mavs go back to a PnR centered offense. Could be a good trade piece in the right deal.
PJ Washington - Wing. Good to Great starter. Having a down year after signing a new contract through the 29-30 season. Still just 27 years old. Could be a fit with Flagg if he's not asked to be a focal point on offense, due to others for that role being injured or not on the current roster. Catch and shoot is his strength. Attacking close outs is his secondary role. Versatile defender and provides a level of rim protection.
Cooper Flagg - Wing. Franchise player.
Caleb Martin - Wing. Below average bench player. Best perimeter defender on the roster but provides nothing offensively. 30 years old with a player option in 27-28. Not a long-term Mav for the Flagg build.
Naji Marshall - Wing. Ideal backup for Flagg. Breakout year with higher usage. Concerns with his impact in a lesser role. Versatile on both sides of the ball. Poor outside shooter which limits his fit with Flagg as a starter. Extension eligible this summer...
Max Christie - Guard. Starter level. Big leap offensively. His per36 numbers with 16 points on 43% shooting with 7 attempts per game make him an ideal fit with Flagg as a starter going forward. Lacks self-creation. CnS role and attacking closeouts is his current strength. Average to above average defender. Just turned 23 (Happy Birthday), which puts him on Flagg' timeline.
Dereck Lively - Big. Excellent backup. His injury history limits his potential impact. Can't play starter minutes. Limited offensively. Above average passer for a Big. Defensive impact is a real positive. His age (22) makes him a fit with Flagg going forward. Depends on the extension...
AJ Johnson - Guard. The only real project on the roster. Elite athlete but not much else. Expiring contract ($3.3M) next year.
With all that said. For next year it breaks down like this for me:
Kyrie |
Max | Klay | AJJ
Flagg | Naji | Martin
PJW
Gafford | Lively
The Mavs have an obvious need at Guard. In the short-term and long-term. If Gafford is in your plans, which I'm not so sure he is, you have a real need for PnR type Guards and less ISO type. The hope for many is that they find that Gaurd with the top pick in this years draft. IF it's a Wing in the Top-10, you will have an opportunity to trade for that Guard with your depth at Wing. Ideally, he would be a great POA defender.
The three point shooting from Kyrie-Max-PJW in the starting lineup is all above average for their position, which is crucial for Flagg to have the space to operate inside. I expect Flagg to also become an average 3PT shooter on good volume as soon as next season.
Kyrie Irving - Guard. Elite-level starter before ACL tear. Injury prone. Age concerns (34). Undersized. Below average defender. Good short-term solution at Guard, especially on the offensive end, but will have a player option the following year for $42.4M. I don't have a high level of confidence that he will be a Maverick past this upcoming season.
Klay Thompson - Wing. Elite-level shooter off the bench. Ideal role is 15-18 MPG. Below average defender. Age concerns (36). Is an expiring and not in any long-term plans for the Flagg build.
Daniel Gafford - Big. Capable starter but thrives in a PnR heavy offense. Limited defensively, outside of rim protection. Under contract through the 28-29 season. Still just 27 years old. Could be a fit with Flagg if the Mavs go back to a PnR centered offense. Could be a good trade piece in the right deal.
PJ Washington - Wing. Good to Great starter. Having a down year after signing a new contract through the 29-30 season. Still just 27 years old. Could be a fit with Flagg if he's not asked to be a focal point on offense, due to others for that role being injured or not on the current roster. Catch and shoot is his strength. Attacking close outs is his secondary role. Versatile defender and provides a level of rim protection.
Cooper Flagg - Wing. Franchise player.
Caleb Martin - Wing. Below average bench player. Best perimeter defender on the roster but provides nothing offensively. 30 years old with a player option in 27-28. Not a long-term Mav for the Flagg build.
Naji Marshall - Wing. Ideal backup for Flagg. Breakout year with higher usage. Concerns with his impact in a lesser role. Versatile on both sides of the ball. Poor outside shooter which limits his fit with Flagg as a starter. Extension eligible this summer...
Max Christie - Guard. Starter level. Big leap offensively. His per36 numbers with 16 points on 43% shooting with 7 attempts per game make him an ideal fit with Flagg as a starter going forward. Lacks self-creation. CnS role and attacking closeouts is his current strength. Average to above average defender. Just turned 23 (Happy Birthday), which puts him on Flagg' timeline.
Dereck Lively - Big. Excellent backup. His injury history limits his potential impact. Can't play starter minutes. Limited offensively. Above average passer for a Big. Defensive impact is a real positive. His age (22) makes him a fit with Flagg going forward. Depends on the extension...
AJ Johnson - Guard. The only real project on the roster. Elite athlete but not much else. Expiring contract ($3.3M) next year.
With all that said. For next year it breaks down like this for me:
Kyrie |
Max | Klay | AJJ
Flagg | Naji | Martin
PJW
Gafford | Lively
The Mavs have an obvious need at Guard. In the short-term and long-term. If Gafford is in your plans, which I'm not so sure he is, you have a real need for PnR type Guards and less ISO type. The hope for many is that they find that Gaurd with the top pick in this years draft. IF it's a Wing in the Top-10, you will have an opportunity to trade for that Guard with your depth at Wing. Ideally, he would be a great POA defender.
The three point shooting from Kyrie-Max-PJW in the starting lineup is all above average for their position, which is crucial for Flagg to have the space to operate inside. I expect Flagg to also become an average 3PT shooter on good volume as soon as next season.
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