Even Dirk Nowitzki can’t believe what the Mavericks have become

The Dallas Mavericks are in the middle of a brutal collapse less than 10 games into the season, and they are officially the worst team in the Western Conference at 2-7 after last night's road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Dirk Nowitzki recently wasn't shy about what’s going on in Dallas, and if Nowitzki is being critical, then you know things are bad.

Nowitzki is always fairly reserved and optimistic when talking about the Mavericks, as he pledged his allegiance to the franchise by playing 21 seasons in Dallas, but even he couldn’t hold back when discussing the situation that they’re in after last night’s loss to Memphis. Dallas lost by 14 points in this game, even trailing by 35 points at one point in the second half.

“I feel bad for my Mavs fans,” Nowitzki said on NBA on Prime. “This has been a disastrous start. They can't shoot, they can't make plays...nobody can make shots. It's been tough to watch.”

Even Dirk Nowitzki can't hide the Mavericks' nightmare start

Nowitzki has made it clear that he’ll ride for the Mavericks until the wheels fall off, but anyone with eyes can tell that this season has been an utter disaster. They’re an Aaron Nesmith buzzer-beater away from being 1-7 with their only win being over the Toronto Raptors, and every struggle that Nowitzki mentioned is evident when watching them play or observing the numbers.

Dallas is the worst shooting team in the league (10.1 made 3-pointers per game, 30th in the NBA), the worst offense in the league (103.2 points per 100 possessions, 30th in the NBA), and their on-ball creation has been horrible (23.6 assists per game, 28th in the NBA). Mavericks fans knew that betting against Luka Doncic with Anthony Davis was always going to be a major gamble, but no one expected this season to go this badly this quickly.

Everything that could've possibly gone wrong since the Doncic trade has, and this is the one move that caused the downward spiral that the Mavericks are in today. Dallas secured the No. 1 pick despite only having the 11th-best odds of doing so, and their season is still a disaster.

Imagine how bad things would be right now if they didn't land Cooper Flagg.

Even with all of the injuries, Dallas has the roster to at least win a few more games than they have, and Mavericks fans are going through serious pain watching their favorite team lose like this right now.

And Nowitzki understands that.

He used to be a common figure around all Mavericks events, but now, it’s extremely rare to see him around. The decisions of the current regime, including firing Casey Smith and trading Doncic, seem to have driven him away, and the backbone of the franchise that he’ll always love is completely different.

Nowitzki will never not love the Mavericks, but even he can’t hold back from calling out the obvious.

Dallas is a poorly constructed team that struggles with the most vital skills that an NBA team needs to succeed, and seemingly nothing can salvage the 2025-26 season.