Mavericks' embarrassing flaw is already stalling the Cooper Flagg era

The Dallas Mavericks' 2025-26 season has not gone according to plan, and one under-the-radar issue could plague the start of the Cooper Flagg era if they don't do something about it now. Dallas needs much more point-of-attack defense if they want to become a contender, and this weakness was exposed on Wednesday night.

Mavericks' point-of-attack defense is inexcusable

Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray fried the Mavericks for 53 points on 19-28 shooting from the field and 9-14 shooting from beyond the arc while leading the Nuggets to a 142-135 win. Dallas tried putting P.J. Washington, Max Christie, Ryan Nembhard, and Khris Middleton on him at different points of the game, and each of them got burned.

There was nothing that they could do to stop Murray, as he was dominating in transition, drilling step-back jumpers with ease, and getting to his spots whenever he wanted to. Murray saw blood in the water every time that he had a Mavericks defender on an island, and his 3-pointers off the dribble were falling at a high rate.

No one had the quickness to keep up with the 2026 All-Star, further exposing how badly the Mavs have to fix their defense this summer.

The problem isn't unfixable

Their frontcourt defense is fine. Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are exceptional rim protectors, while Cooper Flagg is one of the best off-ball disruptors in the league. Still, they don't have the backcourt perimeter stoppers that they need to succeed.

All three of their rostered point guards, Nembhard, Brandon Williams, and Kyrie Irving, aren't known for their defense. Combo guard AJ Johnson is an exception, as he has the athleticism and length to project as a strong defender, but Jason Kidd hasn't played him much since he arrived in the Anthony Davis trade.

This has been an issue for a while now, but this year the problem has been much more severe.

Stats expose how poor Dallas' backcourt defense is

Guard play is one of the most important things to have in today's NBA, and any time that a star guard suits up against the Mavericks, it typically doesn't end well for them.

Murray's 53-point masterclass comes just two games after Darius Garland erupted for 41 points against the Mavericks for the LA Clippers, but the big games for opposing guards don't stop there.

Outside of Victor Wembanyama in the first game of the season, every player who has scored 35 or more points against Dallas this season has been a guard. Their wings struggle when defending down, and unfortunately for the Mavericks, the numbers prove this.

Of the 10 games that a guard has scored 35 or more points against them this season, they are just 2-8. Both wins came by less than 10 points, and the Mavericks very well could've lost both games.

Numbers don't lie, and Dallas has to add some more perimeter defensive stoppers in their backcourt this summer.

Something has to change

This doesn't mean that their defense is unfixable, as they have several strong pieces, such as Flagg, Lively II, Washington, Christie, and Caleb Martin, but none of them specialize in shutting down opposing guards. Martin has made his case as the top point-of-attack defender on the team when he's healthy, but he alone isn't enough for the Mavericks to be able to slow down the best guards in the NBA.

Dallas has to target guards who have exceptional lateral quickness and defensive upside in the 2026 NBA Draft and free agency, because if they don't, Flagg's Mavericks will be dealing with the same problem that wrecked them this season.