Only a handful of Dallas Mavericks have good marks on their midseason progress report.
There comes a time when a young child will reluctantly hand their mid-term progress report to their parents with their head bowed low, knowing whatever scolding follows is a result of a poor performance and bad grades in school.
Or maybe a naughty kid will try to crinkle the paper into the bottom of their backpack and forget about it, or fidge with the teacher's letter grade by forging it to be something that it's not.
As it relates to the 2025-26 NBA season, it's just about that time. Just after Christmas break, the dreaded mid-term grade-check is here.
And it's not a pretty one for your Dallas Mavericks.
ESPN has the Mavs at a failing grade, with the team receiving a "D" for their 18-26 showing just beyond the halfway point in the 82-game slate.
"Ah, preseason, when one of the concerns was whether Dallas would have enough playing time at center for Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II," quipped writer Kevin Pelton about Dallas, one of three teams with a flat "D", which is one spot above the league's poorest "D-" of the Milwaukee Bucks.
It's no secret that Dallas' injury struggles have been the culprit of a dreadful 2025 calendar year ... of course after the organizational malpractice of trading Luka Doncic and not properly handling the obvious PR disaster that ensued.
Davis is the centerpiece of this lengthy injury trend, which also includes Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum, among others sporadically throughout this season.
The trade deadline is just over two weeks away ... but is there enough time for Dallas to make up for this failing grade before then?
Can they somehow do well enough in the back half of the schedule to receive some type of credit to avoid a complete overhaul and redo?
Given that Lively (foot) and Exum (knee) are both out for the year, Davis (finger) isn't going to be reevaluated for another five weeks, and Irving (knee) still holds an undetermined return date, things aren't looking good.
Of course, there are some straight-A students, as well, but even they are subject to some questionable positioning.
Says Pelton: "Add in Jason Kidd beginning the season with Cooper Flagg at point guard in place of the injured Kyrie Irving, and Dallas never stood a chance of reaching the postseason."
The rookie phenom Flagg has been nothing short of spectacular - of course, once he was freed to play his natural position - largely because he's been able to perform so well at just 19 years old and amid this stretch of frustration. He leads Dallas in practically every statistical category, so that's clearly an ace at this midway point.
Other positives include Max Christie and Naji Marshall, two role players who have benefitted Dallas just as much with their consistent availability as their reliability in knocking down shots and guarding the perimeter.
Other youngsters Ryan Nembhard and Moussa Cisse have impressed considering their unexpected workload. It's been tough sledding for the team, but there are individual spotlights that show promise for the class as a whole.
We're just unfortunately at that point in the semester when there is too tall a hill to climb.
The Mavericks are projected to finish with 33 wins this year, which is seven victories below their already-subpar preseason expectations and would be their worst single-season total since the 2018-19 season when Doncic was a rookie.
Could they ride this current three-game win streak some more, get Irving back right after the All-Star break and sneak into the play-in tournament? Sure, I guess.
But is that really a better alternative than mailing this one in and promising the parents a better showing next year after a commitment to do better ... say, like moving on from old and expensive pieces in favor of those that can more easily build a foundation around Flagg?
Mavs governor Patrick Dumont - basically the school principal in this metaphor - is the one fielding these progress reports, and given the fact that he still has not generated traction on a new general manager - and without the professional experience necessary to interpret them - I don't think he knows how to read these warning signs.
It's a report that you'd want to stuff away before anyone can recognize how bad it's gotten ... which is pretty much exactly what the Mavericks are doing.