We are already a week into the NBA season, and the Dallas Mavericks are trading water with a 2-2 record, picking up wins over the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat.
The Eastern Conference was supposed to be deeper and more talented than the West this season, yet the Mavs are 2-0 against the East and 0-2 against the West, though those two losses are against the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets, arguably two of the three best teams in the West.
Let's take a look at the Mavericks and talk about who's trending up or trending down.
STOCK UP: Mavericks Point Guard Depth
One of the big questions entering the season was the depth behind Kyrie Irving at point guard. We knew that they'd be cautious with Irving as he returns from his ACL injury, even if it was 600 days ago, and the depth behind him wasn't proven in the NBA.
Playmaking was one of the team's biggest weaknesses a season ago, so they traded for Marcus Sasser, drafted Sergio De Larrea, and signed Walter Clayton Jr. to a two-way contract after the Grizzlies waived him, and he was just a first-round pick a year ago.
Each of those guards has already provided strong moments.
Marcus Sasser had 17 points against the Houston Rockets and 12 points against the San Antonio Spurs, and started 8/14 from three for the season (did go 0/2 against the Heat, so he's at 8/16 for the season).
Sergio De Larrea hasn't played a ton, but had an impressive 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists against the Spurs on Saturday, shooting 9/15 from the floor and 3/4 from three.
Walter Clayton Jr. had mostly appeared in mop-up duty, but he impressed against the Miami Heat on Monday night, finishing with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists while shooting 6/7 from the floor and 2/2 from three.
As long as one of those three players can give you something each night, the Mavericks can be a much better team than people may have thought.
STOCK DOWN: Max Christie
People had high expectations for shooting guard Max Christie entering the season, with a lot of fans even being disappointed that he didn't get a contract extension.
Through four games, Christie has averaged 9.3 PPG while shooting just 30.4% from three. It's still early in the year and it's a new system, but the returns have not been promising for him thus far.
While Zaccharie Risacher's offense is rough at times, his defense can really get the team going. It may be worth starting him over Christie at this point.
STOCK UP: P.J. Washington
There were a lot of fair critiques about P.J. Washington's fit alongside Cooper Flagg, and it was a little rough last year. It looks much, much better so far this year.
Washington is averaging 15.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG through four games, showcasing the toughness and physicality that they need down low, but his usage on offense is a lot simpler than it was with Jason Kidd.
Dusty May wants Washington in the corner, crashing the offensive glass, and keeping the ball moving. It seems simple, but it's working so far. Washington isn't an elite shooter, but he's good enough to keep the defense honest.
He's well on his way to living up to the four-year, $88.2 million contract that he was given last year.
STOCK DOWN: Moussa Cisse
We all know that Moussa Cisse is a developmental project, but with the lengths that they've gone through to keep him, you'd expect him to at least be playable, and it's clear that the coaching staff doesn't think he is.
It was apparent in Monday's game against the Heat just how little faith the Mavericks had in him, as he didn't play at all despite Daniel Gafford picking up a fifth foul in the third quarter and fouling out in the fourth, Morez Johnson Jr. struggling with fouls early, and P.J. Washington having to play at center.
Cisse hasn't even played 10 total minutes yet this season, and it'll be even harder to find playing time for him once Santi Aldama and Dereck Lively II return from injury.
With Walter Clayton Jr. on a two-way contract, there's a realistic scenario where Cisse gets waived to make room for Clayton.
STOCK UP: Cooper Flagg
We all knew Cooper Flagg would be great, but he's already playing at an All-NBA level.
He had 32 points in the first game against the Houston Rockets, had 14/6/5/3 in the first half against the Pacers before leaving with an injury, then had 29/11/6/5/3 against the Heat on Monday.
Flagg has already become one of the 25 best players in the NBA, it seems like, and that arrow is only pointing up.
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