The Dallas Mavericks Need to Move On from Nico Harrison

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This post comes from a recent episode of Harrison Talks Pod. If you want the full breakdown and discussion, listen to Episode 40 wherever you get your podcasts.

The Mavericks Aren’t Unlucky. They’re Unprepared.

The Mavericks just finished a 1–4 week.
They are 3–7 on the season with a –6.2 Net Rating, putting them in the bottom tier of the NBA.

The theme of the episode and the theme of this post is simple:

Dallas isn’t losing because of bad luck. They’re losing because they are unprepared. Every game looks the same. Opposing teams know exactly what Dallas wants to do. Dallas has no idea what it wants to do. There is no structure, no identity, and no accountability.

And that goes straight to the top.

This Season: No Identity, No System, No Plan

After ten games, Dallas ranks near the bottom of the league in every meaningful category:

Offensive Rating: 103.7 (bottom three in the league)
Defensive Rating: 109.9 (bottom ten)
Net Rating: –6.2 (bottom-tier team)

Advanced playstyle data backs it up. On Synergy Sports:

PlaytypeMavericks EfficiencyNBA Percentile
Isolation0.68 PPP0% — dead last
Pick-and-roll ball handler0.72 PPP7th percentile
Spot-up shooting0.94 PPP10th percentile
Roll-man finishing0.94 PPP10th percentile
Transition0.88 PPP37th percentile

This is the statistical profile of a team with no advantage creation and no halfcourt identity.

It’s not that Dallas is bad at its offensive system.
It’s that Dallas doesn’t have one.

The Shooting Problem (and Why It’s Actually a Roster Problem)

The Mavericks were built around shooting, but the shooters can’t shoot.

They are hitting:

  • 29 percent on wide-open threes

  • 30 percent on catch-and-shoot attempts

Klay Thompson, Cooper Flagg, PJ Washington, and D’Angelo Russell are shooting a combined 27 percent from three on 34 attempts per game.

When your system depends on shooting, and no one shoots well, the system collapses. You don’t have spacing. You have wishful thinking.

The Toughness Problem

73.8 percent of Dallas’ rebounds are uncontested. That means most rebounds are simply falling in their hands.

Opponents score 55.6 points in the paint per game when Anthony Davis or Dereck Lively aren’t out there. If you don’t protect the rim or defend the three, you cannot win basketball games. This team struggles with effort and physicality. That’s a culture problem. And culture starts with leadership.

The Cooper Flagg Situation: Development Without Guidance

Cooper Flagg has shown flashes of brilliance.
He’s averaging:

  • 13.9 points

  • 6.6 rebounds

  • 3 assists

But here’s the problem: he’s being forced into a role he’s not ready for. Dallas is asking a 19-year-old rookie to run an NBA offense without structure or spacing. His best plays come in transition, not in the halfcourt. And there is no system in place to help him read defenses or grow in a stable environment.

He’s learning the NBA while also learning a broken offense. That’s not development. That’s malpractice. The Mavericks should be putting him in movement sets, pairing him with Max Christie and Dereck Lively, and prioritizing his growth over the fading narratives of veteran names.

Flagg is the future. He should not be used as a bandage for bad roster construction.

Why Nico Harrison Must Be Fired

There are four core reasons.

1. Personnel Failure

Nico built a roster full of:

  • Shooters who can’t shoot

  • Defenders who can’t defend

  • Playmakers who can’t playmake

He went after recognizable names instead of roster fit.

2. No Roster Identity

No shooter is hitting better than 32 percent from three except Max Christie. There is no rim protection when Davis or Lively are out. This isn’t bad roster luck. This is bad roster design.

3. Culture Collapse

Players look defeated before tip-off. Fans are no longer angry, they’re apathetic. Even the media is losing interest in defending the front office. The worst place a franchise can be is apathetic.

4. Ownership Confusion

New majority owner Miriam Adelson and governor Patrick Dumont are navigating a long-term arena-and-casino strategy. Cuban still has influence. Nobody knows who has final say on basketball decisions. When nobody owns the decisions, nobody owns the failures.

What the Mavericks Should Do Next

  1. Move on from Nico Harrison.

  2. Hire a development-focused GM from the OKC / Orlando tree.

  3. Build around Flagg + Christie + Lively.

  4. Trade veterans for shooters, defenders, and high IQ role players.

You landed Cooper Flagg. Now build around him, not around yesterday’s stars.

Final Thoughts

The Mavericks are not a bad shooting night away from turning things around. They need a philosophical reset. They need a front office that values system, fit, and identity. They need a roster that maximizes Cooper Flagg’s development. They need an organization that knows what it wants to be. Because right now, Dallas is not unlucky. Dallas is unprepared.

Want more analysis like this?

This article comes from a recent episode of Harrison Talks Pod, where I break down the Mavericks situation in full detail. If you want more in-depth coverage, advanced analytics, and segment breakdowns, listen to Episode 40.

Thanks for reading.

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