{"id":382077,"date":"2026-07-22T07:15:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T07:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/382077\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T07:15:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T07:15:49","slug":"breaking-down-mavericks-potential-starting-lineup-depth-chart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/382077\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking down Mavericks&#8217; potential starting lineup, depth chart"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img alt=\"Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) congratulates teammate forward Naji Marshall (13) after a play during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in Dallas, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo\/LM Otero)\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) congratulates teammate forward Naji Marshall (13) after a play during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in Dallas, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo\/LM Otero)<\/p>\n<p>LM Otero\/AP<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/mavericks\/\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dallas Mavericks<\/a> front office leaders Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz have spent most of the offseason retooling the margins of their roster to provide new head coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/mavericks\/article\/dusty-may-mavericks-head-coach-22314950.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dusty May <\/a>with as much depth as possible.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-channels-pixel.ex.co\/events\/0012000001fxZm9AAE?integrationType=DEFAULT&amp;template=design%2Farticle%2Fplatypus_two_column.tpl\" alt=\"\" class=\"x1px y1px vh abs\" aria-hidden=\"true\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019ll be up to the first-time NBA head coach to figure out how the pieces fit once training camp begins later this fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Mavericks&#8217; nucleus headlined by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/topic\/cooper-flagg\/\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cooper\u00a0Flagg<\/a>, Kyrie Irving and\u00a0Dereck Lively II remains intact, with several rotation players still on the roster. May has the foundation of last season\u2019s team in place, but he\u2019ll be tasked with finding playing time for the team\u2019s newcomers, including Zaccharie Risacher,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/mavericks\/article\/mavericks-morez-johnson-jr-consistent-impact-22340557.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Morez Johnson Jr<\/a>., Santi Aldama, Marcus\u00a0Sasser, Sergio De Larrea and Tarik Biberovic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>May will be required to figure out a rotation that could range anywhere from nine to 12 players, but given the Mavericks&#8217; injury history, everyone on the roster could receive the opportunity to play at some point during the season.<\/p>\n<p>As things stand, the Mavericks have 16 players under contract on standard deals: Aldama, Biberovic, Max Christie, Moussa Cisse, De\u00a0Larrea, Flagg, Daniel Gafford, Irving, Johnson,\u00a0Lively, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/mavericks\/article\/zaccharie-risacher-trade-hawks-thunder-lu-dort-22351304.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Risacher<\/a>, Sasser, Klay Thompson and P.J. Washington. They\u2019ll need to waive or trade a player by opening night to meet the league maximum of 15.<\/p>\n<p>May arrives with the benefit of familiarity after coaching Johnson last season at Michigan, but he\u2019ll have to learn the rest of the roster. He\u2019ll have the opportunity to experiment with rotations and combinations during training camp and the preseason, which includes two games against the Houston Rockets in Macao, China.<\/p>\n<p>That experimentation could very well bleed over into start of the regular season, which has yet to be announced by the NBA, but here is a projection of how the Mavericks&#8217; rotation could look on opening night, even though someone will have to be moved.<\/p>\n<p>Starting lineup<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Mavericks&#8217; depth chart<\/p>\n<p>PG: Kyrie Irving, Marcus Sasser, Sergio De Larrea<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>SG: Max Christie, Klay Thompson, Tarik Biberovic<\/p>\n<p>SF: Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall, Zaccharie Risacher, Caleb Martin<\/p>\n<p>PF: P.J. Washington, Morez Johnson Jr.<\/p>\n<p>C: Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Santi Aldama, Moussa Cisse<\/p>\n<p>What do you think should be the Mavericks&#8217; starting lineup?<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Rubik, sans-serif\" class=\"fs14 mt8 mb24 c-gray600\">After an active NBA draft and some offseason trades, the Mavericks have a lot of new faces on the roster. Who will be in the starting lineup?<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan<\/p>\n<p>Coppell, TX<\/p>\n<p>07\/21\/26<\/p>\n<p>0<\/p>\n<p>Starting \u2013 PG: De Larrea, SG: Irving, SF: Flagg, PF: Aldama, C: Johnson Jr. <\/p>\n<p>Provides 3 ball handlers, 2 creators (Irving, Flagg), shooting from the 1-4, extreme positional size, rim protection and switchable defense. <\/p>\n<p>Christie, Biberovic, &amp; Risacher &#8211; shooters off the bench.<br \/>\nMarshall, Sasser &#8211; ball handlers \/ creators off bench.<br \/>\nLively, P.J., Cisse &#8211; bench backcourt, strong defense, limited shooting.<br \/>\nGafford $ need invested in backup PG.<\/p>\n<p>Robert<\/p>\n<p>San Marcos, TX<\/p>\n<p>07\/21\/26<\/p>\n<p>0<\/p>\n<p>1. Irving 2. Christie 3. Flagg 4. Washington 5. Gafford  2nd unit 1. Sasser 2. De Larrea 3. Risacher 4. Johnson 5. Cisse <\/p>\n<p>The Mavericks could return the same starting lineup from last season and insert Irving, providing the first unit with an elite ball-handler and efficient perimeter shooter who could alter the dynamic of an offense that ranked 27th in the NBA last season. The biggest starting lineup battles could come from the shooting guard and center position, but Irving\u2019s presence tremendously enhances the group\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Adding another dynamic 3-point shooter to that lineup could help every member of the starting five, especially\u00a0Flagg, who won\u2019t have to shoulder as much of the offensive burden as he did as a rookie. Irving\u2019s gravity will also help Christie receive cleaner looks from 3, and his ability to draw several defenders should open the lob game, maximizing Lively and Gafford\u2019s talents.<\/p>\n<p>As for the bench, this is where May will be tested most. There are several players on the roster with versatility and size and the coaching staff need to find a good balance of playmaking, shooting and defensive pressure.<\/p>\n<p>A clear rotation projection will be easier to project once the Mavericks conclude their offseason with the inevitable cut or trade to finalize the roster, but this depth chart is full of interchangeable wings for May to tinker with.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) congratulates teammate forward Naji Marshall (13) after a play during the first&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":382078,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,104,103,88840],"class_list":["post-382077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-tp-dallas-mavericks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382077\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/382078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}