Mavericks are coming to brutal realization critics warned them about all along

Over the summer, every Dallas Mavericks fan was begging for the team to take their backcourt problems seriously. Kyrie Irving was set to miss significant time with his torn ACL, and everyone knew that they needed to trade for a high-level guard to help hold them over until Irving returns.

This was also a common criticism of media members in written articles and conversations over the summer, as elite shot creation is a must in today's NBA. Every team needs players who can create their own shot, set the table for others, and get a bucket when no one else can, and it seems like the Mavericks pushed all of their chips to the middle of the table in favor of their double-big strategy rather than properly utilizing their assets and trying to build a more balanced roster.

Dallas decided to roll the dice by signing D'Angelo Russell and re-signing Dante Exum to try to shore up their backcourt, and it's clear that these moves weren't enough. The Mavericks are clearly realizing that they should've been more serious about finding their replacement for Irving for the first half of the season, and their record reflects that.

Mavericks should've made a trade for another guard

The Mavericks are 2-7 on the season after last night's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, and seemingly nothing is going their way. They have the worst offense in the NBA, as they are averaging 103.2 points per 100 possessions, with shooting and a lack of on-ball creation being some of their many problems.

Dallas tried to start Cooper Flagg as their point guard for the first seven games of the season, but it quickly became evident that the offense was much better when they had a true one, such as Russell, on the floor leading the offense. Multiple times this season during press conferences, Jason Kidd has alluded to the Mavs not having enough guard depth or players who can plainly bring the ball up the court, and this has cost them significantly.

Teams were relentlessly full-court pressing the Mavericks when they didn't have a true point guard on the floor at the beginning of the season, and Kidd was left no choice but to start Russell. Inserting Russell into the starting five came at the cost of sending Klay Thompson to the bench, and his struggles have been evident thus far.

His lack of an offensive bag doesn't help the Mavericks' shot creation problem, as his game is mostly dependent on another player creating an open look for him, and his quality of shots has been way down.

On top of their struggles from downtown, the offense has no flow, and the Mavericks likely wouldn't be in this big a hole if they had made a significant trade over the summer to bring in another guard. Dallas was always going to be thin in their backcourt without Irving, and betting on Russell, Exum, and Brandon Williams to fill this hole was always a risky bet.

Russell's career has been sporadic, Exum is always in and out of the lineup, and Williams is fairly unproven (despite playing well in his limited minutes this season and dominating at the end of last season), and they shouldn't have expected this trio to be good enough to keep the Mavericks in contention while Irving rehabbed his ACL.

Nico Harrison's goal to win a title within the next few years may turn into a thing of the past if they can't bolster their backcourt, and their reluctance to do this over the summer is costing them. Dallas had every opportunity to explore the trade market and attempt to acquire a steady hand to steer the ship for the first few months, and their ability to make such a move may be one of the only things that could save the season.