Mavericks just stumbled into Cooper Flagg's scary perfect lineup

Over the weekend, the Dallas Mavericks went back to starting a point guard next to Cooper Flagg. This paid off, as Flagg put up 52 points over these two games after going through a mini-slump, and Jason Kidd made another change to the starting lineup on Sunday that unlocked their offense.

Kidd started P.J. Washington as their small-ball center against the Cleveland Cavaliers, along with Ryan Nembhard, Max Christie, Naji Marshall, and Flagg. This isn't a long-term starting lineup for next season, as Dereck Lively II is expected to be healthy by training camp and Daniel Gafford is still on the roster, but running some small ball helped unlock Washington's game, simultaneously giving Flagg more spacing to work with, and led Dallas to a 10-point victory.

P.J. Washington looked like himself again

Washington has spent just 11 percent of his minutes at center this season, but we could see this number go up more if Kidd would like to experiment with more small lineups.

Washington had one of his best games of the year against Cleveland, finishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds, five steals, and one block. His five steals tied a career high, and he got back to playing the type of basketball that Mavs fans are used to seeing out of him.

This was Washington's third 20-point game of 2026, and he was finally able to put that rough patch behind him. He was averaging just 8.3 points per game over the previous four games while shooting 32.5 percent from the field, and 20 percent from downtown, and this game showed how dangerous he can be when he's at his best.

Washington was finishing strong inside, knocking down open threes, and playing stellar defense, and this is all the Mavericks need out of him moving forward. His struggles as a 3-point shooter have been evident this season, but he turned back the clock against the Cavaliers.

His defense was also strong, as he helped hold Evan Mobley to just 18 points and four turnovers. This comes after Mobley destroyed Dallas for 29 points on 12-15 shooting on Friday night.

The Washington-Flagg duo suddenly has hope again

Washington reminded everyone that he and Cooper Flagg can still fit together if the right lineup is around them, and Sunday's win helped instill some hope back in the fanbase that this wing duo can work together long term.

Playing Washington at the five opened up the floor for everyone, and Flagg took advantage of the spacing that he provided. Flagg finished with 27 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting 10-17 from the field, and he thrived in the paint.

Washington's floor spacing helped pull Cleveland's bigs out of the paint, giving Flagg more paths to drive to the bucket or cut off the ball for an easy slam. Usually, Flagg has multiple defenders around the paint ready to collapse on him, as Dallas' bigs typically lurk in the dunker's spot. But not on Sunday.

This was a different look from what Dallas has used all season, and the Mavericks looked the best when Washington was their lone five.

The small-ball lineup helped fix Dallas' spacing

Dallas' 3-point shooting was also strong, as they went 15-30 from beyond the arc. Their shooting has been a major weakness all season long, and they were able to take down one of the best teams in the East due to them flipping the script in this area.

It helps when you have players like Flagg, Naji Marshall, and Brandon Williams consistently generating paint touches, and the Mavericks' shooters benefitted from Kidd's decision to play small ball.

P.J. Washington as the Mavericks' center isn't something we're going to see a lot of next season, especially if Dallas keeps both Lively II and Gafford, but it is a lineup they should consider closing with. Kyrie Irving, Flagg, Christie, Washington, and one more player (potentially the Mavs' upcoming first-round pick) have the offensive firepower to score in bunches, and Dallas should have the juice to improve on that end of the floor next season.