👋 Happy Flagg Day! Cooper Flagg is making his Mavericks debut TONIGHT, albeit only in a Summer League game. But that still counts for something in my book! It’s been a loooong five months for Mavs fans. We deserve this, folks. We deserve it. — Bobby Karalla, in the green after one day in Las Vegas

The Dallas Mavericks are pot committed to playing a traditional two-big lineup this season. Anthony Davis has preferred playing power forward basically forever, and the Mavs reportedly agreed to hand over another $50 million or so to Daniel Gafford, who likely will come off the bench behind Dereck Lively II for most if not all of that deal.

That teambuilding approach has been the target of some skepticism from us on the DLLS Mavs show, to put it gently. Personally, I’m of the opinion that you need as much playmaking and shooting as possible, regardless of size (although the bigger the better, to be sure), but the Mavs will likely start P.J. Washington alongside a Davis/Lively or Davis/Gafford frontline, and that’s a group that’s hurting for playmaking and shooting even on its best days.

Our Tim Cato took a look at other two-big lineups from around the league in recent seasons, including playoffs, to see how they’ve performed and how the Mavs’ potential groups could compare. Interestingly, two-big lineups saw more minutes per game in the playoffs this year than in any postseason since 2014, and it’s been nearly as long for regular season duos as well.

But, alarmingly, Tim found that the Mavs’ combo of Davis, Lively, and Gafford combined for fewer drives and 3-point attempts combined than any other collection of two-big lineups in the league, an indication that this group might not be as dynamic as, say, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein or Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. That isn’t to say this group won’t put up big stats or win games, but it does suggest that the Mavs might not have the easiest time generating easy shots this season, especially while Kyrie Irving is out. They’re definitely not completely drowning in shooting and playmaking at the moment. We could be wrong. I could be wrong, and I certainly hope I am. But only time will tell.

WFAA’s Joe Trahan joined the DLLS Cowboys crew the other day to discuss Osa Odighizuwa’s potential increased impact in the team’s new defense after signing a big deal this summer, as well as KaVontae Turpin’s recent arrest and what it could mean for his season. Always love when our friends at Channel 8 join our shows! Check out their conversation here!

Today we’re bringing you not one, but TWO Mavs shows from Las Vegas! We’ll be streaming beginning at 1 p.m. Central, joined by a very special guest. We’ll also go live with a full postgame show shortly after the conclusion of Mavs/Lakers to discuss all things Cooper Flagg, Ryan Nembhard, Miles Kelly, Melvin Ajinca, and the rest of the Summer Mavs. We’ll also be live on Friday afternoon and will bring you postgame coverage on Saturday as well, but those times are TBD. Follow us on Twitter @DLLS_Mavs for the latest!

Yeah, this is gonna be a fun week!

Be sure to subscribe to our shows wherever you listen to your podcasts. Traffic can be the worst, and one of the best ways I get through it is by listening to the audio versions of our DLLS shows. You should, too!

Bobby Karalla
DLLS Sports Head of Content​
[email protected]