It's time for Mavericks to make 'panic' move to finally shore up starting lineup

The Dallas Mavericks can't wait any longer. Their season is quietly falling apart before it even begins, and they should limit the damage by finally inserting D'Angelo Russell into the starting lineup.

This is a move that Mavericks fans have been begging for, as their offense clearly runs much more smoothly when Russell is on the floor, and a former three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner seems to agree.

In a recent episode of "Run It Back," Lou Williams, Michelle Beadle, and Chandler Parsons dove into the Mavericks' struggles after their loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday night, and Williams thinks that they can get back on track by putting Russell into the starting five to help run the offense.

D'Angelo Russell needs to be Dallas' full-time starting point guard

Williams noted that Russell has been solid in a sixth man role, but they still don't have anyone in the starting five who can set the table for others while also making sure that Cooper Flagg is in the right spots. Flagg playing out of position is an entirely different story, as point guard is clearly not his strong suit yet, and the hidden key to helping him get rolling would be to start Russell alongside him, Max Christie, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford (until Dereck Lively II gets healthy).

"He can score the basketball, he can facilitate your offense, and he can make plays for other guys, but you have him coming off the bench," Williams said of Russell. "At this point, you panic and throw him in the starting lineup and see if that helps."

The Mavericks' offense has been absolutely embarrassing to begin the season, as they hold the last-ranked offensive rating in the NBA (103.6 points per possession). They truly can't get worse than this, and a way to try to get the ball rolling in the right direction is by starting Russell.

Jason Kidd and the Mavericks coaching staff would have to live with some poor shot selection and turnovers if they put him in the starting five, but the positives would heavily outweigh the negatives. Even if his jumper isn't falling at as high a rate as expected, he is excelling at getting everyone around him involved and hitting his teammates in the right spots.

Through seven games, Russell is averaging 13.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game, and these numbers could even rise if Kidd starts him. He is the obvious best passer and facilitator on the team, and they have to change something if they expect their offense to get better.

With Anthony Davis, their offensive hub, out of the lineup, they need someone else who can create and lead the offense, and Russell is one of the few players on the roster who is capable of that. The Mavericks are already in desperate territory, as they can't afford to slip much further in the standings, and Russell joining the starting five may be the bump they need to finally snap out of the funk that they're stuck in.