The Dallas Mavericks are stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

Nine games currently separate the Mavs from the 10th-place Portland Trail Blazers and even with 14 games left for both teams, it would take a collapse of monumental proportions for Dallas to overtake the Blazers. 

The Mavs are also torn with giving Cooper Flagg reps to sharpen his game and rest him more in order to prevent the little knicks and knacks from becoming larger concerns. Flagg has been a tantalizing prospect, drawing ooh and ahhs with his high flying acts and earning the respect of his peers with signature performances. In fact, his recent fine form was on display against the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Flagg also played the following night against the New Orleans Pelicans, and while it was a loss for Dallas, it was great to see how the former Duke Blue Devil was able to balance finding his Mavs teammates on the break and off set plays. 

There’s a certain pose to Flagg’s game as he doesn’t rush every possession and is patient enough to create separation for himself and his teammates, especially on the pick-and-roll. He tends to do a little bit of everything and having just turned 19 years old last December 21, sky is the limit. 

That’s the thing though. With each passing game, Dallas’ postseason chances are slim. Not only will the chase be difficult, but the reps that the likes of Flagg, Max Christie, and Ryan Nembhard are getting won’t be as meaningful anymore. This isn’t to say that they should totally shut them down, but it would be better to spread the minutes out so as to give everyone a chance to enter the court. 

Besides the Mavs’ current record has them likely to pick sixth or seventh if the 2026 NBA Draft was tomorrow. At that spot, Dallas can select the likes of Darius Acuff Jr., Nate Ament, and Mikel Brown Jr. 

Acuff is a long-term solution at the lead guard spot and he played in one of the toughest conferences in the US NCAA Division I. He’s got gamebreaker potential and can take over when the occasion calls for it. 

Ament continues to recover from a hand injury, but when healthy, he is a rangy wing with the ability to create shots for himself and fight for rebounds and putback shots. He’d be a perfect complement for Flagg and a system that puts a premium on ball movement and timing. This would especially be helpful as Ament works on reaching his potential. 

Like Acuff Jr., Brown Jr. is (a Jr. and) also a guard that can put the ball on the floor and punish opponents. Similar to Ament, health is also an issue for Brown Jr. but a return to the NCAA tournament could help convince the Mavs to take a chance on him. 

There are obviously more options available for the Dallas Mavericks, but a choice is emerging: play the long game. Cooper Flagg and his teammates can still get some reps, but playing it safe on some days may be prudent, especially if they want to help erase the Luka Doncic debacle from the minds of Mavs fans.