Five Questions For Knicks vs. Cooper Flagg, Mavericks

The New York Knicks are looking to grab their first road win of the season when they take on No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavericks hold a surprising 4-11 record to start the season. With the game coming up, we spoke with Dallas Mavericks On SI contributor Austin Veazey to learn more about the team.

The Mavericks are 4-11 to start the season. What’s been the reason behind the poor play?

The offense has been absolutely abysmal. They're 30th in the NBA in offensive rating, 30th in three-pointers made, 29th in three-point percentage, 30th in turnovers, 29th in free-throw percentage, and 27th in assists. They have a severe lack of playmaking as Kyrie Irving recovers from the torn ACL he suffered near the end of last year, and their solution for that was to sign D'Angelo Russell. That was never going to solve anything.

How have the Mavericks reacted to losing Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis to injury?

Not well, considering the team is this bad. D'Angelo Russell has his moments where he still looks like a good basketball player, but he's awful more times than not. And Dallas' center rotation of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford has been in and out of the lineup due to injury. Davis wasn't that impactful when he was on the floor this year anyway, since he came into the season 15-20 pounds overweight, and his insistence on playing power forward was tanking the spacing for Cooper Flagg.

Injured Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis looks on from the bench during a timeout against the Washington Wizards. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

What problems are resolved by firing general manager Nico Harrison?

Nothing on-court for now, but fans are at least willing to cheer for the team again. They were chanting "Fire Nico" with P.J. Washington at the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game in the final seconds against the Milwaukee Bucks. Having fans want to support the team again means a lot for team morale.

If the Mavericks were to win the game, what would be the reason why?

Jalen Brunson (questionable with an ankle injury) doesn't play, and the offense finds a way to get going. That seems unlikely given how they've performed this year. The Mavs have had a good defense, but the offense has been so bad that it hasn't mattered. They just have no plan 70% of the time.

What’s your prediction for the game?

Knicks by double-digits, even if Brunson doesn't play.

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