Kidd hints at unleashing ultimate starting lineup that Mavericks fans are begging for

The start to the 2024-25 season for the Dallas Mavericks has been filled with injuries and adversity.

Despite securing a 110-93 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, the Mavs are not in a great spot to start the season. Their slow starts and clutch-time woes have derailed their first month of the season, but things should get rolling in the right direction soon as they are almost fully healthy.

The only player on the 15-man roster who missed the game against the Spurs was Dante Exum who is still out after having wrist surgery before the season began. This means that Jason Kidd finally has access to the starting lineup that fans have been begging him to use since the start of the season.

P.J. Washington returned to the lineup after suffering a knee sprain earlier this month, and he finished with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 19 minutes of action. Washington's presence on the glass was desperately missed, and Mavs fans are ecstatic to have him back on the floor.

Kidd hints at soon using starting lineup every fan is waiting for

Even though Kidd didn't use the starting lineup that seemingly every fan wants, he now has access to it. This lineup includes Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Washington, and Dereck Lively II. Kidd ended up starting Maxi Kleber over Washington against San Antonio, likely to ease Washington back into the swing of things, and having this lineup at his disposal could end up being huge moving forward.

Despite Daniel Gafford's incredible game on Saturday night, Lively II is the center of the future and a frontcourt of him and Washington should cause nightmares for opponents inside. Kidd confirmed after the game that Lively II will start for at least the next couple of games, and he was pleased with both Gafford and Lively II's performances against the Spurs.

Washington and Lively II are arguably the two best defenders on the team, and them holding down the paint is important for Dallas as they help protect the rim if anyone happens to blow by Doncic, Thompson, or Irving.

Washington's defense has been elite all season long, and he and Lively II on the back line should frighten the rest of the NBA. Even with Kleber starting the last few games, Kidd made it clear in Saturday night's postgame press conference that Kleber's role will change once Washington ramps up his minutes. He'll take back the starting four spot eventually, and Kidd seems excited to have him back.

The backcourt of Doncic, Irving, and Thompson speaks for itself by their names alone, and although it is taking some serious time for them to get on the same page, they will be unstoppable once they build better chemistry and the offense gets some rhythm. We have only seen this trio heat up a couple of times when sharing the floor this season, but time should allow them to continue to build on the foundation they've built and take the league by storm.

Doncic still isn't playing at the level we know that he can, and him stringing together some consistent performances will be crucial for him. In order for the Mavs to be real contenders, Doncic has to be better.

Irving, on the other hand, has been outstanding. He finished with 22 points against the Spurs, and his strong start to the second half helped the Mavs pull away and win this game. He is having an amazing start to the season, and Dallas definitely missed him in their loss to the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.

Although it may not happen against the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight, Kidd seems ready to unleash this scary starting lineup on the rest of the NBA. Washington is obviously going to recapture the starting power forward spot after he plays a few games and Lively II is Kidd's starting center for now.

This has been the starting lineup that fans have been ecstatic about ever since Dallas signed Thompson in the offseason, and Kidd could look into using this five-man lineup to start a game extremely soon.