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Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving is expected to miss the first portion of the 2025 NBA season while recovering from ACL surgery. Irving's presence will obviously be missed on the floor. For as much criticism as general manager Nico Harrison has received since February, however, he did a respectable job of filling the void by signing D'Angelo Russell. In fact, the Russell signing may save the Mavs.
Anthony Davis is the best player on the team. 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg features the ceiling of a superstar. Klay Thompson is an established veteran presence who can find the bottom of the net from deep. Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford offer strong presences in the paint.
However, without Irving, the Mavs' overall play-making is questionable. The Russell addition, though, addresses that concern.
What D'Angelo Russell brings to the Mavericks
Russell isn't necessarily known as an elite play-making guard. The former All-Star is regarded as a player who can score at a respectable level from the point guard position. For his career, Russell has averaged 17.3 points per game while shooting 42.7 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc. Even in what would be considered a down season for the guard, Russell still averaged 12.6 points per outing across 58 total games played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets during the 2024-25 campaign.
Looking beyond his scoring, Russell brings underrated play-making prowess to the Mavericks. He knows what it takes to set up an offense. The 29-year-old point guard has averaged 5.7 assists compared to just 2.6 turnovers per game for his career. In 2024-25, Russell recorded 5.1 assists and 1.9 turnovers per contest.
He holds overall career marks of a 30.9 assist percentage and a 16.2 PER (player efficiency rating). Russell impacts the game in multiple ways and the Mavericks will benefit as a result.
Dante Exum will help matters. Cooper Flagg is regarded as a quality play-maker as well. However, Dallas needed a veteran starting-caliber point guard amid Irving's absence. Russell — in a lot of ways — is almost the perfect fit. And once Irving returns, Russell will instantly become one of the best backup guards in the NBA.
