Bleacher Report released a fan vote that determined the most impactful players for each team. We assess the results for your Dallas Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks' season has come to an end at 26-56, and it included its fair share of chaos.
Of course, the positive side of that was winning the draft lottery and seeing first overall pick Cooper Flagg emerge as not just a Rookie of the Year contender but also a legit All-Star candidate for next season.
But he could only do so much. The Mavs' season was doomed largely from the start as general manager Nico Harrison was fired midseason, Anthony Davis was traded after a small sample size, and injuries continued to plague the team's connectiveness, most notably Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II missing the entire year.
Despite the unfortunate turn of events, the Mavs will enter the 2026-27 season with an elite prospect and the optimism to return to the postseason.
For now, Bleacher Report nominated its fan-voted superlatives for this year's squad, assessing the best and worst pieces of the roster through their contributions on the hardwood. We dive into the results below.
MVP: Cooper Flagg
Flagg became the first rookie since Michael Jordan to lead their team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. Only two players have accomplished such a feat, and that production is remarkable for the Mavs teenager, considering the position he was thrown into and the major changes made throughout the year.
And any time you're the only one in a room with Michael Jordan, you're doing something right.
Despite Davis, a perennial All-Star, being on the team early in the year (but usually in street clothes), this was always Flagg's team. The Mavs decided to officially usher Flagg into his place as the franchise's cornerstone asset at the trade deadline, and from that point onward, he became one of the best players in the entire league.
Best Athlete: Cooper Flagg
The 19-year-old's relentlessness was extraordinary. His two-way talent was palpable, and his offensive game still has plenty of space to grow into. Even the best in the Association were marveling at his athletic potential at such a young age, and even better was his competitiveness to put it to the test on a nightly basis.
Highlight dunk after highlight dunk, Flagg was so obviously the most well-rounded athlete on the team; there's really no other person in the running. That's an easy distinction when you consider the health problems Dallas faced, as well.
First Time All-Star in 5 Years: Cooper Flagg
Notice a trend? Flagg's already ascending into one of the most popular faces in the league, with his jersey sales inside the top 10 of all players by season's end.
That is about all that dictates All-Star eligibility nowadays. He had an argument for playing in this year's game, though that was around the time of his midfoot sprain, when he sat out most of the games he missed during the year.
Five years from now, Flagg will probably be participating in his fourth All-Star festivities, and I doubt you'd get any pushback on that.
Most Underrated: Ryan Nembhard and Moussa Cisse
For this one, I've gone against the people's choice from the original poll (Brandon Williams). The Mavs' two top two-way rookies were exceptional this season, and the fact that they were undrafted and played this well credits them as underrated enough for this.
Nembhard, especially, proved himself. He ended the year leading all rookies in assists and capped it off with a record-breaking 23-assist showing in Game 82.
Cisse provided valuable minutes throughout the year, as well, with Lively being out and Daniel Gafford constantly struggling with an ankle problem. His size and athleticism are special, and he'll be playing for a long, long time as soon as his offensive skillset develops.
Worst Contract: Caleb Martin & Klay Thompson
This one's a tie because Martin is one of the last few failed Harrison experiments, and Thompson's role lessened into a glorified six-man spot that doesn't warrant his salary.
For that latter reason, there are rumors of Dallas and Thompson mutually parting ways via a trade.
Martin holds a cap hit of $10 million next season, the final guaranteed year of his deal before a player option. He picked up his play toward the end of the regular season, but there isn't any long-term reason to commit to him beyond what the Mavs already have.
Best Trash Talker: PJ Washington
He's still standing on business. No, literally; his iconic 2024 playoffs moment is still reenacted in his pregame handshake with Gafford.
Burner Suspect: D'Angelo Russell
Once thought to be the "stop-gap" point guard until Irving's return, Russell simply never worked out here. For that matter, neither did the Point Flagg experiment, so that further emphasizes Nembhard's importance.
Russell, 30, also took home B/R's hardware of "Most Likely to Play Overseas in 2 Years."
Zombie Apocalypse Ride-Or-Die: Naji Marshall
It'd throw Max Christie into this conversation, too, but Marshall has that edge that every team needs (and would be valuable in extraterrestrial contact). This season, he had a renaissance offensively, but his defensive instincts and tenacity are qualities that will always earn him a roster spot in the NBA.
Christie turned in one of the better shooting seasons in Mavericks history despite his rough patch at the end of the year. Both he, Marshall, and Washington will all be back to be strong complementary pieces for Flagg's future.
