Every conversation about the Mavericks this fall starts with Cooper Flagg's offense. The more urgent problem is at the other end.
Dallas allowed 119.6 points per game last season while scoring 114.1. A five-point nightly gap is how a team finishes 26-56. And the young center who was supposed to anchor that defense is still not practicing.
The Lively question
Dereck Lively II was not cleared for the start of camp, ESPN reported Sept. 23. The 22-year-old center has had two surgeries on his right foot in 14 months, the latest ending his 2025-26 season after seven games, and he has played 43 games over the past two seasons combined.
His availability for the regular season is uncertain, and he is in the last year of his rookie contract.
When healthy, Lively was a key piece of the 2024 run to the Finals. Without him, Dallas has to build a defense from parts.
The parts
Daniel Gafford led the team with 1.3 blocks a game and pulled down 6.9 rebounds. He is the default starter until Lively returns.
P.J. Washington led the Mavericks in rebounding at 7.0 per game and is one of their most versatile defenders.
Cooper Flagg was the team's steals leader at 1.2 per game and added nearly a block a night as a rookie. His defense is the part of his game that could make him an All-Star sooner than expected.
The new wings. Zaccharie Risacher, acquired from Atlanta, and Santi Aldama, part of a six-team July trade, add length. Moussa Cisse, whose Knicks offer sheet Dallas matched, is a shot-blocker still earning a rotation spot.
