Mavericks' season hinges on this uncomfortable D'Angelo Russell truth

When D'Angelo Russell was taken second overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, the pressure on him was immense. Since being drafted over a decade ago, Russell has played for four different teams, and while he has had an excellent career thus far, he has not fully lived up to the hype that surrounded him as he entered the NBA coming out of Ohio State.

The Dallas Mavericks will be Russell's fifth different NBA team heading into the 2025-26 season. The Mavericks signed the 29-year-old point guard to a two-year contract on the opening night of free agency, and fans are excited to see what he can do.

Kyrie Irving, recovering from a torn ACL from this past March, will give Russell the chance to get playing time right away, as he will be the starting point guard until Irving returns. However, there will be one question that everybody in Dallas will be wondering when it comes to Russell heading into next season.

Will the Mavericks get the good or bad D'Angelo Russell next season?

Russell has shown he can be relied on many times in his career. In 2016, Russell made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team with the Lakers. In 2019 with the Brooklyn Nets, Russell became an All-Star for the first time in his career. However, there can be times when Russell gets inconsistent and underperforms.

The Mavericks can't afford this, as all eyes will be on them after going through one of the craziest seasons in franchise history last season. They'll need Russell to play with effeciency while getting everyone else around him involved, and time will tell which Russell Dallas will get.

Teams have always bought into the Russell hype in the past, and sometimes it doesn't work out for his tenure. A big example of that came in the 2019-20 season when Russell was traded by the Golden State Warriors to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Although he's never made an All-Star Game again, Russell showed signs of promise with the Timberwolves from 2020-2023. Russell averaged nearly 20 points per game, gaining confidence and playing at a near All-Star level. Then, Russell was traded back to the Lakers where he was solid for the next year and a half.

In 2023-24, Russell was solid for the Lakers with averaging 18 points per game and over six assists per game. Russell also set a career-high by shooting 41.5 percent from three. Then, the 2024-25 season was a rough one with the Lakers and Nets.

Russell averaged under 13 points per game to set a new career low for a season. However, a fresh start in Dallas may be needed as he should be fired up to claim the starting point guard spot on a contender that was in the NBA Finals just over a year ago.

If Russell plays like he did in 2024-25 again this next season, then he has a chance of making the Mavericks struggle. With Cooper Flagg arriving and Anthony Davis on board for his first full season in Dallas, the Mavericks will need Russell to play solid with Irving out.

Russell's performance as the starting point guard will quietly have a major impact on next season, and fans' eyes will be glued to him every single game early on. Dallas just needs him to take care of the rock, drill open shots, and keep the offense organized for the first few months of the season.

When Irving comes back from his ACL injury, likely at some point in 2026, the Mavericks need to be in a good position in the Western Conference standings. If Russell struggles, the Mavericks could be in a position where they will be climbing back to the top of the standings, which could be hard to overcome down the final stretch of the season.

But, if Russell plays like he did in Minnesota and his first Brooklyn tenure, then the Mavericks can be in a solid position when Irving comes back. Being in a solid position when Irving comes back will be heavily needed, and a strong start of the season as a starter from Russell will make his transition to the lead guard off the bench seamless.

Having Irving carry a major workload of the offense coming off an ACL injury could put him at risk of overworking his knee, and the Mavericks can't afford that. That's where Russell comes in.

Russell's shooting makes him someone who can play next to Irving once he returns, and Dallas' offense should be good enough to where they don't need Irving to be elite right away.

Russell will need to embrace his role of filling in for Irving while he recovers. However, the Mavericks' season could be made or broken depending on how Russell plays while Irving is out. This will be one of the biggest storylines of the season, and we'll have you covered every step of the way.