Dallas is looking for offensive weapons to assemble next to Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving.
Cooper Flagg led all first-year players in points during his Rookie of the Year campaign, but because he was one of the few youngsters leading their team as a No. 1 option for a bulk of the season, the Dallas Mavericks' offense as a whole suffered.
The end-of-season offensive rating sat at 111.2, ranking 27th out of 30. The defensive rating, also led by the athletic 6-9 prowess of Flagg, only ranked slightly higher at 20th (116.5).
This is why many believe the Mavs' No. 9 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft will target a high-volume scoring guard. Dallas lacked any sense of a full-time point guard of any type throughout this season as Kyrie Irving was injured.
Although internal reinforcements, like Irving and rim-running center Dereck Lively II, will be coming back, the future of the team may be partially determined by this pick.
Irving, 34, may not be in Dallas for longer than a couple more years (at best), and this is last fully-controlled draft selection for the Mavs until Flagg is off his rookie contract.
In ESPN's latest mock draft, Jeremy Woo has the Mavericks finding "offensive upside" in Louisville freshman Mikel Brown Jr.
"Brown measured well at the combine and registered a plus-4 wingspan, giving him good size for a lead guard," Woo scouts. "His back injury made it difficult for him to boost his in-season stock, making the predraft process critical for showing teams he is healthy and reminding them of his significant offensive talent."
The 6-3 freshman reportedly looked "100 percent healthy, showing no signs of the lingering stiffness or pain that was apparent during the season," according to NBA.com's post-combine assessments.
Despite the "risky" label many teams might place on Brown, Woo believes he'll still get plenty of recognition and will likely be picked inside the top 14, which puts him in range for the Mavericks.
"He will receive looks higher than this," Woo said in his mock, "but his range could run toward the back of the lottery as teams await clarity on his long-term health coming off an inconsistent season."
Brown missed the last seven games for the Cardinals (absent for ACC and NCAA tournaments) after averaging 18.2 points and 4.7 assists as the team's lead guard. He missed 14 games overall with the back troubles, and earlier this offseason, was predicted by Woo to be drafted higher than No. 9.
At the combine, the prospect was defending his health the best he could, as scouts consider his obvious offensive gifts against his concerning health record at a frail 20 years old.
"I feel great," Brown said. "I’m moving like I did before the season at the U19 FIBA World Cup and I’m just here to control what I can control and show teams I’m ready to come in and make an impact and I’m fully healthy."
Brown - a self-proclaimed "competitor" who admittedly played through pain when his back was "messed up" - was open about his choice to be cautious and miss the postseason tournaments, knowing an opportunity to make the NBA awaited.
With talents that project him to be one of the best offensive-minded point guards in the draft, the Mavs could take a swing on him if he drops to No. 9, where he'd be looked at as a value pick that fills what Dallas is looking for.
