Mavericks finally come to D'Angelo Russell realization fans have known for weeks

Since signing with the Dallas Mavericks in the opening hours of free agency, D'Angelo Russell instantly became one of the team's most polarizing players for many reasons. Now, a month into the regular season, it's clear that the Russell experiment that the Mavericks signed up for is not the one they are getting.

With 19 of the 82 games being played, Russell has no doubt had his moments on the floor, including a recent 23-point outburst in a close loss to the New York Knicks, but in overall retrospect, Russell's time with the Mavericks has been forgettable. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that Russell's hot and cold play style would either hurt or help the Mavericks this season, but after all the hype of him joining the team on a low-risk contract, he has just about lost his role in Jason Kidd's rotation.

19 games into the regular season, and Russell's status in Kidd's rotation has generally become a guy who is either lighting up the scoreboard the second he touches the floor or after a few-minute spell of him playing awful defense and doing nothing with the rock, he won't see the floor again that game. That was no different against the Miami Heat as he went on to score zero points and play a mindboggling 10 minutes in what appeared to be one of his final games as a highlight player in Kidd's rotation.

D'Angelo Russell has completely lost his role with the Mavericks

Against the Heat, Russell would only get 10 minutes of game run when the Mavericks desperately needed a table setter to run their offense. Not only was Russell clearly not that guy and hasn't been for lengthy periods of this season, but two-way player Ryan Nembhard came in and absolutely flipped the game in favor of the Mavericks with his incredible playmaking and ability to knife through defenses.

It's unclear if this level of play is sustainable for a rookie like Nembhard, but it doesn't make Russell's job any easier knowing that a rookie can steal his job in Kidd's rotation. To make matters even worse, this was one of the first games where Russell would barely see the floor in the second half, and when he did, his leash was little to none in favor of Nembhard.

In hindsight, this could have been something the Mavericks could have easily avoided with Russell's inconsistent play style, but almost a month into the season, it's clear that if Russell isn't having one of his few hot shooting nights, his time on the floor could be limited.

It's unclear if Kidd will have a specific time for Russell to show off his offensive capabilities for a specific amount of time, but it's already increasingly clear that fans and the coaching staff have grown tired of Russell's on-court behavior.

Now, with multiple names and Kyrie Irving only getting healthier, the Mavericks could elect to yank Russell's role entirely, which could send the right message to the 10-year vet. In a prove-it year with a prove-it contract, Russell needs to be playing with more desperation on both ends of the floor, and over a month into the season, it's clear that he isn't.