Mavericks' No. 9 pick toss-up has a clear answer between two elite guards

With the 2026 NBA Draft less than a week away, the Dallas Mavericks are expected, by many, to have a choice between freshman guards Kingston Flemings and Brayden Burries at the ninth overall pick if the draft board falls in their favor. This is a toss-up that many Mavs fans are split on.

Both players would improve the Mavericks and give them a guard to pair up with Cooper Flagg for the future, but one of the prospects has a clear advantage over the other for Dallas. Given that they remain at nine and those two are indeed available, Arizona's Brayden Burries, who seems to want to be drafted by Dallas, should be the selection.

Burries' size and strength are key components for a guard defensively

Brayden Burries measured at 6-foot-3.75, 215.4 pounds with a 6-foot-6 wingspan at the NBA Draft Combine, and one of his major strengths is his athleticism. These tools should help Burries be one of the best defenders amongst the cluster of guards in this range of the draft. His ability to be a switchable defender and to not get bullied by bigger players would allow the Mavericks a lot of lineup flexibility without having to be concerned with hiding him on the defensive end.

While Flemings is also very active defensively, his smaller size and disappointing combine measurements - 6-foot-2.5, 183.4 pounds with a 6-foot-3.5 wingspan - would inevitably lead to some mismatches on that end of the floor. Flemings possesses the motor, speed, and athleticism to make a positive impact defensively; however, his frame and height just aren't as sizable as Burries, which is why the Arizona freshman guard has the slight edge on that end of the floor.

Burries' three-level scoring is what the Mavericks need next to Flagg

During his freshman campaign on a loaded Arizona team, Brayden Burries led the Wildcats in scoring, averaging 16 points on 49 percent shooting and shot 39 percent from beyond the arc on over four threes a game. But it was how he scored those points that mattered most.

Burries' ability to score on all three levels - 3-point range, mid-range, and at the basket - is what separates him from a lot of players in this class. Being able to knock down catch-and-shoot threes, attack closeouts, and even create offense for himself is exactly what the Mavs need alongside young phenom Cooper Flagg. His player comparisons include two-way guards such as Derrick White and even a little bit of Stephon Castle. This is why he would fit perfectly next to Cooper.

Flemings' offensive game is far more limited

Kingston Flemings also averaged 16 points during his freshman season at Houston, along with 5.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game. While Flemings definitely has the edge in playmaking and speed over Burries, the Mavericks' offense this past season was one of the worst in the NBA, and a lot of that had to do with not having players who can create their own shot.

Flemings, while still averaging a similar number of points, was mostly limited to his mid-range pull-up game and transition scoring. His lack of 3-point volume and limited ways of scoring are things that can easily get exposed in today's NBA.

Both Kingston Flemings and Brayden Burries would be great additions to the Mavericks in this draft and would likely become starting guards next to Flagg in the near or immediate future. However, when thinking about long-term fit and the needs of a Mavericks team with plenty of holes in their roster, Burries is the clear choice over Flemings.

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