Mavericks seem dangerously close to repeating costly disaster that doomed them before

It seems the Dallas Mavericks have a lot to work out after getting exposed by Victor Wembanyama and Kyshawn George over the last two games. While it's hard to stop a 7-foot-5 alien coming at you, the shooting for Washington proved to be too much for the Mavs to stop on Friday night. This brutal loss might've reminded Mavs fans of one guy who should've got more reps, and his name is Christian Wood.

The Mavs might have the same problem with D'Angelo Russell, who hasn't been cutting it lately. Russell is supposed to be the man to lead an 18-year-old who could become one of the best players of all time when it's all said and done. Instead, Cooper Flagg has been sensational for his age, but if we're going to be honest, he hasn't been getting much help.

The Mavs as an organization have been responsible for getting Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Russell. The veteran point guard has been supposed to be helping out, but he's not only going back to his old ways, and Jason Kidd hasn't even been playing him much. He's reminding Mavs fans that Russell is just another version of what Wood was supposed to be.

D'Angelo Russell is starting to look like the next Christian Wood

Wood, as the big man to former Mavs superstar Luka Doncic, was supposed to be the immediate help to what Doncic was looking for. Instead, the coaching staff decided to play veterans Dwight Powell and JaVale McGee. Kristaps Porzingis was traded in the middle of the 2021-22 season, and didn't prove to be much help. That's understandable, but you want guys who can play consistently; you've got to have better guys.

Russell is almost an exact mirror of what Wood was. A lot of hype and a lot of anticipation when he was brought in, but it doesn't turn into anything. It's easy to feel that way with Russell as well, considering his history of questionable consistency.

The Mavs need to get the most out of Russell not just because of production, but also to help his 18-year-old in Flagg. Russell is a veteran who has been there and done that with a teammate like LeBron James. If the Mavs aren't going to get much out of their regular point guard while Irving is down, then it seems like time is being wasted.

Wood was supposed to be the big man to help Doncic, but with a mix of inconsistency and the coaching staff giving him irrelevant minutes, it seemed like a dream that was dead when it seemed like it was supposed to be an answer to help a superstar.

Instead, it was a dud of an answer, just like what Flagg is experiencing now with his veteran point guard. Yeah, we're only two games into the season, but we have to think that every game matters when your head coach puts an 18-year-old as your main point guard. Whether or not Flagg should be the point guard can be up for discussion, but at the very least, Russell needs to be doing a better job at helping Flagg, but he can't do that without Kidd giving him more minutes.

You won't get many generational talents like this, ever. Ask Mavs fans. They still miss Doncic to this day, but Flagg clearly needs some help, and the signing of Russell will look like a dud if Kidd continues to not even give him a chance.