It didn't take long for a familiar chant to echo through American Airlines Center as the Dallas Mavericks trailed the Washington Wizards by 10 points in the final minute of Friday's game.
"Fire Nico!" fans yelled in unison, voicing their frustration for the team's general manager the same way they routinely did following the trade of Luka Doncic, who dropped 49 points on the same night the Mavericks suffered their second straight loss of a new season.
The Mavericks are off to a sluggish start, reeling from a 117-107 loss to the Wizards. While Friday's problems were rooted in defense, the team's early growing pains are rooted in their thin depth at the point guard position.
Dallas doesn't have a traditional point guard in their jumbo starting lineup, instead relying on rookie forward Cooper Flagg, seventh-year forward P.J. Washington and big man Anthony Davis to shoulder the bulk of the ball-handling responsibilities.
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With Kyrie Irving and Dante Exum sidelined, the team's point guard room includes D'Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy, Brandon Williams and two-way rookie Ryan Nembhard.
Russell was initially positioned as the player who would fill the role of Irving when he signed a two-year deal with the Mavericks during the offseason. However, he played just 8½ minutes off the bench in the first half of Friday's loss and did not reappear in the second half.
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Russell is averaging 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists through two games. Jason Kidd was asked what he needs to see for Russell to earn more playing time. The Mavericks coach revealed a his intentions for a couple of other point guards within his answer.
"Just rhythm," Kidd said. "He had some good looks that just didn't go down. We got B-Will and Ryan that we're trying to figure out which one that we can play early here in the season. If you're going to suit Ryan up, you gotta play him because it's a game that's gonna go against you. Understanding the depth of the team at that position, we're shorthanded."
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Kidd is referring to the 50-game maximum allowed for two-way players to be labeled as active. The Mavericks had a catastrophic season full of injuries last season, which led to Williams and former two-way forward Kessler Edwards running out of eligible games before the season ended. Williams was converted to a standard contract, which allowed him to continue playing until he suffered an oblique injury.
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Nembhard had a promising preseason, recording 20 assists to only two turnovers in four games. The production led to an early role in Kidd's rotation. Williams missed most of the preseason because of a hamstring strain and is slowly working himself back into form. Kidd said the determination of who will earn consistent minutes will come down to their performance in practices and games.
"It's a combination of both," Kidd said. "Right now, we're trying to play both of em. Ryan had a really good preseason. B-Will was hurt, so we're trying to get him into a rhythm, too. Trying to get both of those guys some minutes. At some point, we're going to have to make a decision on one or the other, not playing both. Right now, we're looking at playing both until one steps up and takes control of it."
Hardy was the one who stood out the most among the four during Friday's game. He finished with nine points and provided quick offense at a time when the Mavericks needed it.
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"He was great," Kidd said. "He gave us a spark on both ends."
The Mavericks had 21 turnovers on Friday, and their trio of Davis, Flagg and Washington combined for 18.
"If myself, P.J. and Coop is gonna be our primary ballhandlers, we gotta do a better job of protecting the ball," Davis said, "knowing that people are gonna try to pick us up fullcourt."
Davis said there's "zero" concern for the Mavericks' early struggles, especially since there's a full season to be played. He also shot down a question about Flagg facing early adversity in the first two games of his NBA career.
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"This is adversity? We have 80 games left," Davis said. "We can run off 10 straight [wins] and then what? That's how I look at it and I'm sure that's how [Flagg} looks at it. That's what we talked about. We know we have to be better on both ends of the floor. An NBA season is a rollercoaster. We're staying positive."
On Twitter/X: @MikeACurtis2
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