Mavericks' starting lineup meltdown already has a painfully obvious fix

The Dallas Mavericks' 2025-26 season has not gone according to plan, as they fell to 1-3 last night after a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at home, and a change to the usual starting lineup may be key in finally unlocking the offense.

Jason Kidd needs to consider starting D'Angelo Russell, regardless of the head-scratching plays he sometimes commits, and the difference in the way the offense flows is obvious when he's on the floor. Despite some offensive improvements over the last two games, the Mavericks are still the last-ranked offense in the NBA (103.8 offensive rating). Something has to change, and the numbers heavily back up Russell in terms of him having the skill to help turn the offense around.

Dallas has a 114.2 offensive rating with Russell on the floor, but without him, it dips to 97.1. The proof is in the pudding, and his effect on the offense passes both the number and eye test. The number of open shots that the Mavericks generate seems significantly more when Russell is on the floor compared to when he is on the bench, and he is miles ahead of many of his teammates in terms of being trusted to dribble the ball in space.

D'Angelo Russell needs to be the Mavericks' starting point guard

Despite his major impact, Russell's stats have been nowhere near as impressive as expected, as he is averaging 10.0 points per game while shooting 29.3 percent from the field and 17.6 percent from downtown. Regardless of his inefficient play, his playmaking is needed in an offense that lacks creation and elite passers.

He is undoubtedly one of the best passers on the team, and the numbers back that up. Russell is averaging a team-leading 5.5 assists per game, and he has a knack for finding open shooters on the perimeter or cutters heading toward the rim.

Just like his shot selection, he sometimes forces some passes and isn't always on the same page with everyone around him, but the process is definitely there. He is an extremely strong playmaker when he is fully dialed in, and the Mavericks plainly need his steady hand to help hold the starting five together.

Kidd has been vocal about wanting to start Cooper Flagg at point guard, and the other usual starters around him include Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II. A case can be made that Max Christie should start over Thompson, but the most obvious change that Kidd should consider is adding Russell to his first five.

He is already playing starter minutes, as he has played 29 and 30 minutes over the last two games, respectively, and they need his ball-handling badly. Dallas is being full-court pressed as much as anyone in the league, and Russell is much better at handling this type of pressure than Flagg and Washington are.

Russell is much more likely to take care of the ball and not turn it over when bringing it up compared to Washington and Flagg, and he can get the ball across half-court much quicker, allowing them to get into their sets much quicker. Some clear examples of this happened in Dallas' game against Oklahoma City last night, as the Thunder would often try to put heavy on-ball pressure on the Mavs' ball handlers for 94 feet when Russell was out of the game. Flagg was sometimes getting hounded full court, but when Russell was running point guard, Oklahoma City wasn't sending as much full-court pressure his way.

Starting Russell may come with more plays that make Mavericks fans shake their heads at times, but it would be worth it as they try to get the offense back on track. The misses and taking contested shots will come with playing him, but so will a more fluid offense that they desperately need.