While Mavericks head coach Dusty May still hasn’t settled on a definitive starting lineup yet, he said Thursday that forward P.J. Washington is in consideration for a spot alongside Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Sports Journal.
As Afseth notes, Washington has started 137 of his 142 regular season appearances with Dallas since the team acquired him in February 2024. However, May said Washington’s history as a starter was far less meaningful than his versatility and basketball instincts.
“I think as coaches, we have a couple different lineups penciled in,” May said. “But obviously, as we’ve learned and are learning … there’s a lot of inconsistency in the lineup over a number of days based on back-to-backs and injuries. In this rotation, what would this look like versus what would this group look like together? So I haven’t thought of it.
“… But P.J. is certainly in the mix for a starting spot, mostly because he can play multiple positions.”
May praised Washington, calling him a “winning player” who “fights for his teammates.” But he also wants him to be more vocal.
“P.J., we’ve gotten a little bit of everything out of P.J. He’s someone that I think can check a lot of boxes,” May explained. “If you wanna play a small lineup, you can play the five. He can play the three for the bigger lineup. But we need his physicality. We need his basketball instincts. He’s a quick thinker. Defensively, he knows what to do at all times. We’ve gotta get him to use his voice a little bit more to share his knowledge with the group, and he’s gonna help us.”
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May was also complimentary of Max Christie on Thursday, Afseth adds. The 23-year-old shooting guard is coming off a career-best season in which he averaged 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists on .441/.404/.899 shooting in 77 games, including 68 starts (29.1 minutes per contest). Christie, who makes $8.3MM this season and holds an $8.9MM player option for 2027/28, is eligible for a veteran extension. “To be known as something, I’d love to be known as a shooter in this game. That’s very important,” May said. “So for him to have that and hang his hat on is extremely important for us in a lot of ways. … But with Max, he has such a quick first step. He’s got great speed. He tries to do everything the team needs him to do, every possession. And then defensively, I think he’s a very underrated defender at the point of attack and off the ball. He plays hard. He’s still young, so the physicality part is improving every year. But to me, Max is trending towards being a complete player.”
Lottery pick Morez Johnson Jr. was limited at the start of training camp due to lower leg soreness, but May indicated Friday that the 6’9″ big man is close to full strength. “I know Morez is playing a lot of 5-on-5 now, so he’s obviously much closer,” May said (story via Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal). “… He played a lot today. He’s still dealing with the ramp back up. But most importantly, we want our guys to be healthy, mentally and physically, on game nights.” Johnson, 20, has impressed Daniel Gafford and Washington in their first few months as teammates and already had a close bond with May and some of the staff from their time together with Michigan. “He’s a dog. I mean, he’s a bully out there. He’s strong. He knows what we want to do each and every possession. He talks on both ends, and he’s willing to learn,” Washington said. “He’s in here every day early trying to get better. And, I mean, you love guys like that, especially when they’re young. You know they’re going to have a bright future.”
He’s technically an NBA rookie, but Tarik Biberovic has several years of professional experience, having played for Fenerbahce in Turkey. He said he could have made the move to the NBA last year and suggested he had other lucrative opportunities this offseason as well before signing a two-year, $6MM deal with Dallas. “Well, the staff also knew what I gave, what I left behind me. So they also know I didn’t come here just to be happy or just to be a part of the team, just to be an NBA player,” Biberovic said, per Afseth. “That was one of my first goals when I was in Europe. I’m never going to be the guy who just came into the NBA just to say he was an NBA player. I came here to make an impact, and they also know that.” May said the 25-year-old wing is adjusting to the speed, length and pace of the NBA, and Biberovic said he needs to not just knock down his shots — he’s known for his shooting ability — but impact the game in other ways as well.