DALLAS — Four practices into his first NBA training camp, Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May has not settled on a starting five. On Wednesday, May said he does not expect to anytime soon.
Dusty May On First- And Second-Team Speculation
May expects the lineup question to carry into the regular season. He has seen the talk online about who is running with the first team and the second team.
“Obviously, I’m on social media. I’ve seen [talk] about the first team and second team. We haven’t really settled into that now,” May said. “We’re more or less looking at two- and three-man lineup combinations, one- and five-man lineup combinations. So anyone that has any speculation on the first five and the second five, please let me know because I have no idea at this point. We’re going to keep trying. Yeah, please let me know.”
Dallas opened camp with 19 players. Kyrie Irving returned without restrictions 18 months after tearing the ACL in his left knee. Cooper Flagg enters his second season after winning Rookie of the Year.
Three big men have been limited through the first four practices. May said Wednesday that rookie Morez Johnson Jr. has lower leg soreness. Santi Aldama is returning from a March knee procedure, and Dereck Lively II is recovering from December foot surgery.
May did not name the reasons, only that there are a number of them.
“I think with our team it’s going to be an ongoing thing,” May explained. “I can’t see us settling in on a starting five anytime soon for a number of reasons.”
Dusty May On Camp’s Early Surprises
On Monday, May said squeezing in a lot of possessions is paramount for Dallas. Pace and tempo have been part of the work this week. So far, the tempo has run ahead of where he expected, and the ball has moved.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how these guys are problem-solving and working together. They look like they really enjoy passing and sharing the ball, which is always a great sign,” May said. “A little bit surprised as we’re working on our pace and tempo.”
“It’s been a little bit more frantic than I anticipated, but it’s very normal [for] this time of year,” May added.
Dallas hired May in June after he coached Michigan to the 2026 national championship and a 37-3 record. He took Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023. The Mavericks went 26-56 last season.
After two preseason games against the Houston Rockets in Macao on Oct. 9 and Oct. 11, Dallas hosts the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 14 and the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 16. The Mavericks open the regular season at Houston on Oct. 21.
