Rookie Cooper Flagg leads a makeshift Mavericks lineup, earning a C+ grade. Can this evolving unit unlock true potential despite injuries?
The Dallas Mavericks' season has been far from what they expected coming into the year, and the team has had a number of different starting lineups.
In a recent article by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes, he gives every starting lineup in the NBA a grade. For the Mavericks, he gives them a C+ for their unit that revolves around superstar rookie Cooper Flagg at point guard.
The lineup he grades consists of Flagg, Max Christie, Naji Marshall, PJ Washington, and Daniel Gafford. A lineup that has been put together through all of the injuries to the team's other notable contributors.
"This group has yet to share the floor as starters, and Dallas will surely shuttle players in and out of the lineup for injury management as it winds down a lottery-bound season," Hughes writes. "Still, there's a lot to like here if Flagg can continue to grow as an initiator."
The C+ mark reflects a squad in transition more than a finished product. The Mavericks’ starters haven’t logged significant minutes together, partly due to injuries and lineup experiments, which makes evaluating chemistry tricky.
The expectation is that, when healthy, Flagg will captivate as the primary play initiator — something Dallas desperately needs. His versatility, size, and budding offensive instincts give this lineup upside, especially with wings like Naji Marshall and Max Christie surrounding him. Christie’s shooting and Marshall’s two-way energy help balance what could otherwise be a one-dimensional group.
P.J. Washington adds another athletic wing who can score and defend, while Daniel Gafford brings lob threat finishing and rim protection to the five. That blend of traits is promising, but as the grade implies, the combo still feels early in its development.
The team is also without usual starting center Dereck Lively II, and superstar point guard Kyrie Irving.
With those two in the lineup, it would most likely be Irving, Flagg, Lively, Marshall, and probably Christie. Getting some of their guys back, especially Irving, would give the team's starters a calming presence, as well as a scoring boost.
There’s clear talent across the current five, and when Flagg can fully orchestrate and the group finds consistent roles, the ceiling is higher than that grade suggests. For now this lineup can work just fine, but this will most likely not be the long-term plan for the Mavs.