4 Dallas Mavericks Who Should Be in NBA Award Conversations

The Dallas Mavericks exit October with a surprising 4-2 record. Many people thought they'd be lucky to win two games by this point, so to sit here with four wins already is a testament to a revamped system and culture.

It helps to have Kyrie Irving back, and Cooper Flagg already looks like one of the best players in the NBA.

The schedule lightens up for the next 6 games or so, which could have the Mavericks sitting pretty in the Western Conference early in the season. While we shouldn't overreact, the Mavericks could have a few people in award races at the end of the year if they keep this up.

Here's a look at those people.

Oct 30, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Dusty May looks on during the second half against the Houston Rockets at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dusty May: Coach of the Year

The Mavericks were one of the worst offenses in the NBA last year, and are currently a top-10 offense and league-average in three-point shooting.

So many players are experiencing career resurgences, even if it's early in the year: P.J. Washington, Zaccharie Risacher, Caleb Martin, and Marcus Sasser, just to name a few.

We haven't even seen this team at full strength yet, as Santi Aldama, Tarik Biberovic, and Dereck Lively II have yet to play. The best is still to come as the Mavericks get more comfortable on offense.

Zaccharie Risacher: Most Improved Player, All-Defense

The Mavericks essentially got Zaccharie Risacher for free, only giving the Atlanta Hawks a second-round pick and Ryan Nembhard. Even if Risacher failed to live up to being the first overall pick, he still had a lot of potential, especially on the defensive end.

Dusty May and his staff have found a way to unleash him defensively, as he's among the league's leaders in total stocks with 12 steals and 10 blocks through six games.

Risacher also finds more confidence offensively with every game. So far, he's averaging 9.5 PPG and 6.0 RPG, and while that scoring is a drop-off from years past, he just LOOKS better, especially defensively.

Oct 30, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) celebrates after making a three point basket against the Houston Rockets during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kyrie Irving: Clutch Player of the Year

The Mavericks have only played in one clutch game this season, which was a 116-111 win over the Houston Rockets. In that game, Kyrie Irving had 16 points in the fourth quarter, showing that he's still one of the best players with the ball in his hands late.

No team lost more games in the clutch last season than the Mavericks. Having Kyrie Irving back should help change a lot of that.

Cooper Flagg: MVP, All-NBA, All-Defense, Clutch Player of the Year

Maybe it's too soon to put Cooper Flagg in these conversations, but he's certainly playing at that level. In the five games he's played, he's averaging 26.8 PPG, 6.6 APG, 6.0 RPG, 2.6 SPG, and 1.2 BPG, and that's with him only playing the first half against the Indiana Pacers due to injury.

Everyone knew he'd be a good NBA player when we were watching him at Duke. Very few saw him being this comfortable as a scorer in just his second season. Flagg gets to his spots at will and has every type of shot in his arsenal. The three-point shot is still coming around, but he looks more comfortable taking them.

That leads to instances like Friday night, where he beats Tari Eason with a tough turn-around push shot from the elbow in the final 30 seconds.

COOPER FLAGG IS ONLY 19 pic.twitter.com/nsKhGvKFX9
— NBA Performances (@NBARewinds) October 31, 2026

If Flagg continues to play at this level, and the Mavericks continue to win games, he's going to put himself in MVP conversations by the end of the season at 20 years old.

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