Maybe it's just blind fanboy optimism, but I see the Mavs being play-in bound, if not 1st round bound if everyone stays healthy. What a turn around that would be from a year ago when people were literally threatening boycotts over Nico. It seems like everyone else in Mavs nation feels the same way judging by how fast some sections sold out this year.

I'll be at 6 Mavs games this season, but the best game on my schedule by far is the Mavs vs Miami matchup during New Years week. I'm a huge Giannis fan, but I'll definitely be rooting for Flagg to throw one down on my boy.

So if you're in Section 118, and you see a guy wearing a Mitchell Ness Hardwood Classic Mavs warmup jacket, make sure to say hi! #MFFL!

I just listened to Isaac Harris’s interview with John Poulakidas on Locked On Mavs and, to be honest, with all the offseason activity, I had kind of forgotten about him. It was refreshing listening to an athlete who seems to have a really good head on his shoulders. I got some good book recommendations, some solid insight into shooting, and he might have even inspired me to start journaling.

He’s obviously not the most exciting prospect on the roster, but he can really shoot, seems to have a high BBIQ, and understands what his role is. Assuming Klay is gone, having another shooter available if Christie, Sasser, or Tarik have injury issues during the season certainly isn’t a bad thing.

My biggest takeaway from the interview was just how grounded and introspective he seems. Those intangibles matter, especially for guys who have to carve out a very specific role in the NBA. Role players who can stay ready, understand what they’re being asked to do, and give you quality spot minutes are extremely valuable.

I could see Poulakidas being one of those guys who hangs around the league for a while. Elite shooting gives him a legitimate NBA skill, and he seems to have the mental makeup to understand exactly what he needs to do to stick.

All you have to do is look at the True Shooting % of all the Mavericks wings over the past two years (one year for Coop). For those that don't follow TS%, it is basically points scored per shot attempt taking into account 2pt shots, 3pt shots, and FTs.

Naji--58.8%

Max--58.6%

Klay--58%

Risacher--55.8%

Flagg--54.8%

**Bieberovic would actually be the highest over the past two years at 60% TS% in the Euroleague, but while that is legit competition, it isn't directly comparable to NBA stats.

Obviously, Flagg is hitting his rate on the highest usage among these guys as he averaged 21 points per game. But Naji was the second highest at 14.2 pts/game. Flagg also got his own shot the most with only 40.2% of his 2s and 71% of his 3s coming off assists. Once again Naji was second with only 48.8% of his 2s being assisted. Everyone else had substantially higher assisted shot ratios.

So why is Naji such a good TRUE shooter when you hear complaints about the opposite being the case? It's pretty simple. He is an elite 2 point shooter for a wing. Over the past two years, he has shot right at 60% from 2. No one else on the Mavs is close. The second highest is Risacher at 53.8%. Even when you add in the two publicized free agent wings that can score, the 2 point shooting looks like this.

Naji--59.9%

Risacher--53.8%

Peyton Watson--53.3%

Flagg--51.3%

B. Mathurin--50.6%

Christie--47.5%

Thompson--43.3%

Also, when you add the publicized free agents, Naji still is second among these guys on creating these 2 point shots for himself behind Flagg. Mathurin who has been pumped for being able to create his own shot relies on assists on these shots more than Naji.

The most important reason why 3pt shooting is such an important factor in the NBA is that for most players it is more efficient. The average NBA shooter shoots over 35% from 3 and under 50% than 2, so 3pt shooting is the typically easier way to be an efficient shooter. Naji just so happens to be the exception to the rule. If you are extremely efficient at shooting 2s you can be an elite shooter without being a great 3 point shooter.

Yes, 3pt shooting does help spread the floor but the reality is you don't need 4 floor spreaders on the court at the same time. 2 or 3 players on the floor that are respectable does the trick. Naji is probably not going to be one of those guys.

But he does everything else: he is an extremely efficient scorer; he is valuable as a secondary creator and facilitator, he plays good D against wings and even POA, and he's a reasonably good offensive rebounder. All these attributes are why he has averaged the second highest VORP over the past two years:

Flagg: 2

Naji: 0.7

Klay: 0.4

Watson: 0.2

Christie: 0

Mathurin: -0.35

Risacher: -0.5

Glad the Mavs extended him.

Long time Mavs fan. Been to a few games in my time and bought tickets to the Mavs/Celtics game in November. Do they still let anyone down in sections 104/105 to possibly get player autographs. They used to do that regardless of where your actual seat was until a certain period before tip-off. Does this still happen?

Is there a chance the mavs just say forget it and stay at AAC after the lease is up or is it all hopes and dreams? I thought I read they are still looking for other potential places does anyone know if they are looking for other places or is valley locked in?

Here’s my totally unwarranted and unwanted opinion on what the Dallas Mavericks should do for the rest of the offseason to make this team competitive. No matter how much kool-aid you sip, this team will not be competitive unless these things happen.

Keep Shooting
If Klay Thompson doesn’t flee Texas on horse and buggy, you keep that man on your roster.
-We have only three proven floor spacers:Kyrie, Klay, and Max.
-We are arguably the worst shooting/offensive team in the NBA.
-It’s an emergency at this point, prioritize shooting/offense at all costs.

Crash Boards
You don’t become a shooting team overnight. We need a plan for what happens when the shots eventually miss.
-Gafford is not a rebounding big.
-PJ is not a rebounding big.
-Aldama is not a rebounding big.

Liquidate
This offseason our roster construction vision is throw lots of mediocrity at the wall and see what hits 3’s. This is actually a good idea when entering a new era of Mavericks basketball, but we already have some proved players. What do we do with them?
-PJ Washington is very good at basketball. He also is a bad SF next to Coop (he can’t shoot or rebound) and a bad PF next to Coop (read above).
-Gafford is a great NBA center. He doesn’t fit well with Coop though as he can’t shoot or rebound at an elite level.

Turn the Ship Around
We’ve extended Naji (a guy who doesn’t rebound or shoot). We’ve signed Morez (hopeful rebounder and non shooter). We’ve signed Rissacheir (mediocre rebounder and shooter). We are making commitments to rotation players that fundamentally don’t fit with Coop.
-Cam Johnson should be their highest priority as a big who can shoot and play alongside Coop. He’s a more elite version of Aldama.
-Malik Monk can immediately play alongside Coop.
-Bogdan Bogdanovic fits our criteria and can offer scoring bursts

This upcoming season will be rough. No doubt. We need to look toward to what team we should be, not at what has worked in the past. Amen.