For now Mavericks head coach Dusty May yet did not get a job on the final starting line-up yet, he said on Thursday that he is ahead PJ Washington considered for a place nearby Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irvingwrites Grant Offset of the Dallas Sports Journal.
As Offset notes, since the team acquired him in February 2024, Washington has started 137 of his 142 regular-season games for Dallas. However, Maye said Washington’s history as a starter was far less significant than his versatility and basketball instincts.
“I think as coaches we have a few different lineups” May said.”But obviously, as we’ve learned and are learning…there’s a lot of inconsistency in the lineup over the course of a few days based on back-to-back games and injuries. In this rotation, how will that look compared to what this group will look like together? So I didn’t think about it.
“… But PJ is definitely in the mix for a starting spot, mostly because he can play multiple positions.”
May praised Washington, calling him a “winning player” who “fights for his team-mates”. But he also wants him to be more vocal.
“PJ, we got a little bit of everything from PJMay explained.If you want to play with a small team, you can play with five. He can play three for a bigger lineup. But we need his physicality. We need his basketball instincts. He thinks quickly. In defense, he always knows what to do. We need to get him to use his voice a little more to share his knowledge with the group and he will help us.”
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- Mai also praised Max Christie on Thursday, Offset adds. The 23-year-old guard is coming off a career-best season in which he averaged 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists on .441/.404/.899 shooting in 77 games, including 68 starts (29.1 minutes per contest). Christie, who is making $8.3 million this season and has an $8.9 million player option for 2027-28, is eligible for a veteran extension. “To be known as something, I would like to be known as a shooter in this game. This is very important” May said.”So for him to have that and hang up his hat means a lot to us in a lot of ways. … But with Max, he has such a quick first step. He has great speed. He tries to do whatever the team needs every possession. And defensively, I think he’s a very underrated defender on the attack and off the ball. He plays hard. He is still young, so the physical part is improving every year. But for me, Max strives to be a complete player.”
- Lottery selection Morez Johnson Jr was limited early in training camp with a sore calf, but Maye showed Friday that the 6-foot-9 big man is close to full strength. “I know Mahrez is playing a lot of 5v5 now, so he’s obviously a lot closer,” May said (story via Offset from Dallas Hoops magazine). “… He played a lot today. He’s still dealing with the ramp. But most importantly, we want our guys to be healthy, mentally and physically, on game nights.” Johnson, 20, impressed Daniel Gafford and Washington in their first few months as teammates and already had a close bond with May and some of the staff from their time together at Michigan. “He is a dog. I mean, he’s a bully there. He is strong. He knows what we want to do for each property. He talks both ways and is willing to learn” said Washington.He is here early every day trying to get better. And, I mean, you love guys like that, especially when they’re young. You know they have a bright future ahead of them.”
- He’s technically an NBA rookie, but Tarik Biberavich has several years of professional experience, played for the Turkish Fenerbahce. He said he could have jumped to the NBA last year and suggested he had other lucrative opportunities in the offseason before signing a two-year, $6 million deal with Dallas. “Well, the staff also knew what I gave, what I left behind. So they also know that I didn’t come here just to be happy or just to be part of a team, just to be an NBA playerBieber said, according to Offset.It was one of my first goals when I was in Europe. I’m never going to be the guy who came to the NBA just to say he was an NBA player. I came here to make an impact and they know it too.” May said the 25-year-old wing is adjusting to the speed, length and pace of the NBA, while Bieberovic said he needs to not just knock down his shots — he’s known for his shooting ability — but also impact the game in other ways.
