Mavericks must end their point guard curse before it costs their hidden gem

January has undoubtedly been Brandon Williams' best month of the season for the Dallas Mavericks, as the 26-year-old guard is proving why they can't let him walk in free agency this summer, as they have with other talented point guards in recent memory. Williams recently took over the mantle as Dallas' starting point guard over Ryan Nembhard once again, and deservingly so, as he's been uber-efficient attacking the rim ever since Christmas Day.

In January, Williams is averaging 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and a steal per game with shooting splits of 53.9/25.0/71.9. After getting converted to a standard deal last season after being on a two-way contract for parts of two seasons with the Mavs, Williams has continued to solidify his spot as a rotation-caliber guard in the NBA, especially with the control he's displayed in the halfcourt recently.

Williams' efficiency was a bit shaky to start the season, especially since he'd never been a starting point guard in the league for a consistent stretch. However, he's been getting to his in-between game and setting up others better than he has all season recently, as this could be the evolution of him honing his speed and quickness to be more efficient and less frantic in the half-court.

Mavs can't repeat their point guard free agency disaster again

Williams still isn't a true three-level scoring threat every night, as he's still shooting a meager 19.6 percent from outside on the season, but he has a pure stroke and has been getting more shots to convert recently, so there's definitely still some hope he could become a 30-35 percent 3-point shooter in the coming seasons.

Kyrie Irving is undoubtedly Dallas' No. 1 guard when healthy, but at almost 34 years old, Irving won't be leading the brigade forever, so Dallas needs to prioritize nailing Williams down on a multi-year deal this summer if they're able to financially, as he could be Irving's successor as Dallas' main starting point guard down the road.

Of course, Williams hasn't shown nearly as much as Jalen Brunson or Steve Nash did in Dallas once upon a time, but the Mavericks have a terrible track record of letting talented point guards walk away for nothing in free agency, and this can't be the case with Williams. Dallas will have to make a deadline move to have the financial leniency to sign Williams this summer, in all likelihood, as he's playing himself above a minimum deal, but they can't let him slip through the cracks.

Nembhard's ascension is noteworthy, and he could eclipse Williams eventually, but that is far from a guarantee right now, especially with Nembhard's height being a crutch for him defensively as well as his ability to get to the rim consistently. Dallas would be smart to get both Williams and Nembhard on board for next season, as they've both proven to be talented enough to potentially be the next point guard of this team once Irving steps down, and they're extremely valuable back-ups in the meantime.