Mavericks Backcourt Addressed Biggest Weakness, But Have They Added Enough Talent?

Training camp is set to begin at the end of the month for the Dallas Mavericks. They get an earlier start than most of the NBA because they have two international preseason games against the Houston Rockets in Macau.

In preparation for that, we're going through position by position to give you a closer look at the team. We looked at the point guard situation behind Kyrie Irving on Saturday, so now it's on to the shooting guards.

The entire backcourt was a massive weakness for the Mavericks last year, not just the shooting guard. Getting Kyrie Irving back will be a huge boost to the point guard, and while they made a lot of changes at the two, it's still clearly the biggest weakness entering the season.

Apr 8, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie (00) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Previewing Shooting Guard for the Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks waived Klay Thompson a few weeks ago, as he gave back more than half of the salary he was owed to enter free agency now and sign with the Miami Heat.

They also traded away A.J. Johnson to the Memphis Grizzlies, who then quickly traded him to the New Orleans Pelicans.

They retained Max Christie and John Poulakidas (two-way contract), while trading for Zaccharie Risacher and Tarik Biberovic. Risacher has the size of a small forward, but there won't be many minutes available there, so he'll likely eat up a lot of minutes at the two.

These additions will help address the Mavericks' biggest issue last year, which was three-point shooting. Christie was a 40% shooter last year, Risacher shot at a 36.8% clip, and Biberovic was at nearly 50% from deep in Europe.

While they finally have competent shooters, the talent in this room is a little lackluster.

Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) warms up before game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Christie is probably better served as a high-end backup, but he'll be the favorite to be the starter entering the season. He started 68 games last year and averaged a career-high 12.3 PPG.

Biberovic has consistently averaged around 10 PPG in his last few years in Europe, so he may be coming off the bench. He's too strong a shooter not to see some playing time.

Risacher is a complete wild card. The Mavericks basically got him for free, only giving up a second-round pick and the formerly undrafted Ryan Nembhard to bring in the former first overall pick.

Had Risacher been in a normal draft class, he would've been a mid-lottery talent, but he still has the highest ceiling of anyone in the room. If the Mavericks are able to tap into that potential at all, it would be huge for the team's future.

Caleb Martin could also see some minutes at shooting guard because of his defensive prowess, but he's played pretty poorly since arriving in Dallas in the Quentin Grimes trade.

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