Mavericks were best defense in the NBA in preseason, but it may be fool's gold

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said the phrase "defense wins championships" enough in the aftermath of the Luka Doncic trade that fans never wanted to even think about defense again. There were even doubts about whether or not the way this roster was constructed would even be good enough defensively.

Well, Nico Harrison's delusions were met as the Mavericks finished the preseason with the best defensive rating, blocked the second-most shots per game, and allowed the second-fewest points per game. So, all that shines is gold, right? Or is this more of a fool's gold situation?

It's important to consider the caliber of opponents that the Mavericks played in their four games: the Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz, and Los Angeles Lakers. The Thunder and Lakers sat all of their starters and a decent amount of their key reserves, and the Mavs struggled to keep up with the Lakers despite that.

Oct 13, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward/center Anthony Davis (3) makes a slam dunk over Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkić (30) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, the Hornets and Jazz were two of the three worst teams in the NBA last season, and didn't make any meaningful changes to their teams. And yet, the Hornets still put up 120 points behind a pair of 20-point efforts from LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges.

This defense has yet to be tested by a real challenge. We won't know if it's fool's gold until the regular season gets started. Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs will be the first challenge on Wednesday, but that should fit into exactly what the Mavericks do well defensively.

The games after that against the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors won't reveal much either. However, the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 27th will be fascinating. Are the Mavericks going to trust Cooper Flagg to guard reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in his fourth game? Or is that a game they go supersized and let P.J. Washington guard SGA? Will it even matter?

Oct 15, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) shoots the ball during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Point-of-Attack Defense Still a Concern

Gabe Vincent of the Lakers lit the Mavericks up in the preseason last week, hitting five threes in the opening minutes of the game. Some of that can be chalked up to natural shooting luck, but Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball also had a lot of success against the Mavs. As much defensive talent as there is on the roster, there really isn't anyone who can handle the smaller ball-handlers.

Cooper Flagg and P.J. Washington will likely be the main ones tasked with guarding those smaller players, and Naji Marshall and Max Christie are more than capable off the bench. SGA isn't even a smaller player, but that matchup is the first real challenge we'll see for this defense.

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