The Dallas Mavericks just wrapped up a tough back-to-back road trip, facing off against the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics. The Mavs faithful were left feeling frustrated, but there’s still plenty to be excited about, especially when it comes to young talent like Cooper Flagg.

The Mavs’ first game of the back-to-back was against the Orlando Magic, and it was a real nail-biter. Chicagojk summed it up perfectly:

“If you are a fan of shooting, you may want to skip this game tonight.”

And boy, did he have a point. The game was a real snooze-fest, with both teams struggling to find their rhythm. In the end, the Mavs came up just short.

Fast forward to the next night, and the Mavs faced off against the Boston Celtics. This one was a real challenge, especially with Jayson Tatum making his season debut. cow had a great take on Tatum’s return:

“Tatum coming back will be interesting to watch. He and Haliburton will be the test to see if we’ve turned a corner on that injury being a death sentence or if it’s just outliers (Nique, KD) that can return to form.”

The Mavs actually had a great chance to win this one, but ultimately came up short. HoosierDaddyKid was feeling frustrated:

“Mavs let Orlando off the hook, in the nick of time. This was a game they should have won.”

One bright spot in the game was the play of Cooper Flagg, who’s been getting a lot of reps lately. GATA had a great take on Flagg’s performance:

“Flagg is struggling. That injury really derailed his game”

It’s true that Flagg has had some ups and downs, but he’s still showing a lot of promise. And as ThisIStheYear pointed out:

“Tough night for Coop. ROY race is settled.”

Of course, the Mavs have a lot of other young talent that’s worth getting excited about. Scott41theMavs had a great observation about the team’s starters:

“Starters, Klay and BWill a combined 8-30. Naji, Martin, and Cisse not getting the memo, a combined 10-13.”

It’s clear that the Mavs still have a lot of work to do, but there are definitely some positives to take away from these games. And as cow pointed out:

“The closest thing we have to offense is plays that run Klay off a bunch of screens and then he pulls the trigger if he is open or not.”

Maybe it’s time to mix things up and try some new approaches. After all, as Chicagojk said:

“Man pj has so disappointing this year. Defense and offense. Just not good.”

But hey, at least the Mavs have some exciting young players to watch. And who knows, maybe next season will be the year they turn things around.

In a season of developing young talent, Mavs fans are looking forward to seeing more growth from players like Flagg. For now, though, it’s about enjoying the ride and seeing what the future holds.

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