DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks held their end-of-season press conference on Saturday following the team's 120-106 play-in defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. The Mavs' season ended with the loss, and a number of players addressed difficult questions on Saturday. PJ Washington was asked about the team's new defensive-first mindset following the Luka Doncic trade and how the Mavs can improve as a result.

“We didn’t win last year, it’s not like we won the Finals,” Washington told reporters. “At the end of the day, everybody who has played basketball knows you have to play defense to win. At the end of the day, I feel like we can be one of the best defensive teams next year. We have some of the best shot-blockers in the game right now. It makes my job easier, all the guards' jobs easier… The sky's the limit for us… It's just about building chemistry and being together.”

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has consistently preached that “defense wins championships” since the trade. The Mavs seem to be buying into the idea as well based on Washington's comments.

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There is no question that Dallas' defense could be a force in the 2025-26 season. As long as players can stay healthy — something that proved to be a struggle this past season — the Mavericks could realistically be one of the better teams in the NBA.

Frustration is something fans have dealt with since the Mavs traded Luka Doncic, though.

“We're professionals… We're trained and we're supposed to play through the noise,” Max Christie told reporters. “Again, every fan has a right to voice an opinion… That's fine. Our job is to, not necessarily tune it out, but we gotta continue to play regardless.”

It was a season full of ups and downs for the Mavericks without question. They will try to get back on track and make a playoff run in 2025-26.