Dirk Nowitzki is brutally honest about Dallas’ ‘disastrous start’
The Dallas Mavericks they are in deep trouble this season. Many expected them to struggle to start the season, especially with Kyrie Irving set to return in 2026. However, few predicted the Mavs would be this… bad. They are 2-7 to start the year, struggling to string together wins.
The Mavericks’ struggles have drawn the ire of many fans. That includes a Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzkiwho walked into his former team during a recent performance. Nowitzki regretted the fact that Dallas doesn’t have a true point guard to lead them through this early part of the season without Kyrie Irving.
“I feel bad for my Mavs fans,” Nowitzki said on Amazon’s “NBA on Prime.” “It’s been a disastrous start. Obviously, there’s a hole at point guard and playmaker…shot creation, shot creation. They can’t shoot, they can’t make plays…nobody can shoot. It was tough to watch.”
Irving suffered an ACL injury last season that caused him to miss the rest of the year. The timeline for Irving was originally set to return in 2026 to allow him to heal. The Mavericks have relied on D’Angelo Russell to be their starter in the meantime. That experiment didn’t work out well, as Russell is averaging just 12.3 points and 5.6 assists while shooting 38.3% from the field.
First overall pick Cooper Flagg is experiencing similar issues in his first year in the league. The Mavericks rookie is averaging 14.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting just over 40% from the field. It’s been a tough season for Dallas, as no one has stepped up in Irving’s absence.
To make matters worse, Anthony Davis has been sidelined for some time with a calf injury. The former No. 1 overall pick has been the Mavericks’ best player this season, averaging 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
2025-11-08 16:06:00
