Mavericks foolishly give another neglected player the D'Angelo Russell treatment

Over his three and a half months as a Dallas Maverick, D'Angelo Russell went from someone who fans expected to be a starter to a bench warmer. Now, AJ Johnson, who was included in the trade that sent Russell to the Washington Wizards along with Anthony Davis, is in the same boat.

Johnson has received a very minimal role despite Dallas being in the perfect position to play its young players, and it doesn't make sense.

AJ Johnson has gone from a hyped prospect to an end-of-the-bench guy

Johnson came into the NBA as a hyped first-round pick after playing one season in the NBL in Australia, and Dallas looked like somewhere that he'd get the chance to play some real minutes. Fans were excited about the second-year guard's potential to gain a real role in the rotation, considering that the team punted on the season by shutting down Kyrie Irving and trading Davis, but that hasn't been the case.

Johnson has played just 9.1 minutes per game as a Maverick, including eight DNP-CDs.

He has had some promising moments, including back-to-back games of scoring double-digit points at the end of February and a productive stint with the Texas Legends of the G League, but his chances to have these types of games have been minimized recently. The shifty 6-foot-5 guard typically only plays during garbage time, or doesn't even play at all, with just four games remaining in the regular season.

Now is the time to give him a chance

Why would a 21-year-old player that Dallas has under contract through the end of the 2027-28 season not be in the rotation when their top priority should be draft positioning? The Mavericks have no incentive to win right now, and while Cooper Flagg's recent surge has allowed him to reclaim the lead to win Rookie of the Year, this doesn't mean that Jason Kidd can't play other young players alongside him.

He already knows what he has in players like Khris Middleton, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, P.J. Washington, and Marvin Bagley III. They're his veterans. They are who they are.

On the other hand, he should be playing John Poulakidas, Ryan Nembhard, Tyler Smith, Moussa Cisse, and Johnson as many minutes as possible to end the season to evaluate talent and embrace the tank, as every win unfortunately comes at a cost in a tight lottery race. Dallas' win over the Los Angeles Lakers last weekend dropped them from sixth to eighth in the lottery standings, and with this being the Mavericks' only chance to draft a co-star for Flagg, they can't mess up this opportunity.

Dallas has nothing to lose while Johnson has everything to gain

Dallas shouldn't sacrifice multiple months of tanking to end this season, and giving Johnson a role once again will help them do this. He doesn't deserve to be exiled to the bench, just like Russell was, and some low-pressure games to finish the year off are exactly what he needs.

His finishing, speed, and ball handling should all be on display for the Mavericks' front office and coaching staff to see over these last four games, as they won't have this type of opportunity next season when they're trying to be a title contender. Dallas has already been eliminated from the playoff race, and allowing someone like Johnson to spread his wings and play real minutes is exactly what they need and what fans want.