Dallas Mavs Starters: ‘Many’ Options Open on Wing, Says Jason Kidd
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks entered training camp with three confirmed starters: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Grant Williams. Nothing has changed as the team prepares to face the Detroit Pistons in Friday's preseason finale.
After Thursday's practice, Mavs coach Jason Kidd highlighted the team's versatility, highlighting options like Josh Green and Derrick Jones Jr. as potential choices to start on the wing, with a need to test different combinations.
“We have a lot of versatility when you look at different matchups and you look at different players,” Kidd said. “If you looked at Josh (Green), he does something different than Derrick Jones Jr. does, so there are different scenarios that we have to discuss and put these guys in the situation of playing with different tandems."
With Doncic sidelined for this week's practices and Friday's game as he recovers from a mild calf strain, the Mavs have been limited to having Kyrie Irving as the team's only star available. Kidd even mentioned Tim Hardaway Jr. and Seth Curry as among the options the team has to consider.
“This week, we’ve been able to just play with Kai and understanding you have Tim [Hardaway Jr.] and Seth [Curry] do things differently too, so we’ve got some options to go to with that wing,' Kidd said. "I think that actually adds depth to coming off the bench with multiple wings that can do different things, too.”
Dante Exum, who stands at 6-foot-6, boasts the necessary size to give the Mavs confidence in playing on the wing. The team is open to trying him in the starting lineup as they experiment with various combinations, especially given his shooting progression in recent years in Europe.
"Exum is another wing that we can start or bring off the bench," Kidd said. "We have many options, and it's about putting the right group out on the floor at the right time."
Mavs guard Dante Exum on Media Day
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
A notable omission from Kidd's list of starting wing candidates was rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper, the starter in the Mavs' preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Abu Dhabi. He has come off the bench since that point, and Kidd stated in Madrid that the rookie will "likely" continue to do so.
The Mavs may not have had a healthy training camp, but they do have different combinations with pre-established rapport with one another. Curry has played with both Doncic and Irving in the past, along with role players from his prior stint in Dallas, such as Hardaway, Dwight Powell, and Maxi Kleber. The two Australian national team members, Green and Exum, have plenty of established equity together and are coming off participation in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
“As a coach, you believe in or hope that he wants to do this, but you see that with the different pairings, maybe they’re doing something else,” Kidd said. “Different guys are playing well. You have guys who played on the national teams together. They have a great rapport. You have guys who’ve been here multiple times and have a great rapport. Seth plays well with Timmy. They have a great rapport."
Regarding the starting center role and frontcourt rotation, Dereck Lively II has gained reps with the second unit often this week, garnering praise from Kidd for his play with both the first and second groups in practice. The recent indications have remained in Lively's favor to be the Mavs' opening night starter, but it remains unclear and unconfirmed.
"Lively's done an incredible job as a rookie," Kidd said. "We've asked him to start. We've asked him to play with the second group here in practice this week. He's done everything we've asked, and he's a rookie. He's not going to be perfect. He's going to make some mistakes, but he's in work mode and learning mode in the sense that he wants to learn and get it right."
Mavs rookie Dereck Lively II on Media Day
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
While the main frontcourt options like Powell, Kleber, and Richaun Holmes are often the focus of projections for playing time, Kidd did single out Markieff Morris to praise his recent play in practices. Morris was highlighted as an option that can alleviate pressure from Maxi Kleber when deploying different combinations.
"Our veterans are playing well when you talk about [Markieff] Morris is playing extremely well right now. So that gives us depth, strength, leadership, toughness, and another guy who can spread the floor. So, it just takes a little pressure off of Maxi [Kleber] when you look at those different guys that are playing well.”
Kidd did admit that with the lengthy international travel and injuries they've dealt with, they're probably "a little bit behind" as a team as far as testing rotation combinations are concerned. The Mavs feel they must be patient as they figure out their rotation and test out different tandems.
“I would say this is going to take time. With the trip and everything we’ve dealt with injury-wise, we’re still probably a little behind," Kidd said. "And it’s not a bad thing, so I don’t want people to take that out of context because they probably will. But it’s just the truth. We’ve got a lot of new pieces, we’ve got to get to know one another, and we’re trying to inform that relationship on and off the floor.
"If things don’t go well right away, it doesn’t mean that the world is coming to an end," Kidd explained. "But we’ve got a lot of positive things happening right now that are taking place on the floor and off the floor, and as a coach, you can sleep a little bit better at night.”
The Mavs open the regular season on Oct. 25 in a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, featuring rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama.
