DALLAS — Availability on the second day of Dallas Mavericks training camp was basically the same as Saturday, Mavericks coach Dusty May said Sunday.
Santi Aldama remained limited with something that happened before camp. May said Aldama is working out and is not fully sidelined. Max Christie said Dereck Lively II has been putting in work outside of practice and shooting. On Saturday, Lively worked with a trainer on non-basketball activities during the open portion of practice.
Dusty May On Santi Aldama’s Status
Aldama had an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee on March 17 while playing for Memphis. It included an orthobiologic injection to address discomfort in the knee. The medical staff tells the coaches each day who can go, according to May, and practice is built around that.
“He’s been limited,” May said. “… They just say who can go, and that’s who we play and practice around that day. But he’s been limited with something that happened before. He is working out. It’s not as if he’s out-out. There are some limitations on that.”
Dallas acquired Aldama from Memphis on July 8 in a six-team trade. The 7-footer averaged career highs of 14.0 points and 6.7 rebounds last season. May sees him as a possible stretch five in a death lineup.
“Santi, obviously, being a seven-footer, could be a heck of a stretch five in a death lineup. The problem is the other teams don’t put the fives on him,” May said. “Do we have a group that can go punish a five elsewhere or can he punish a three man or four man, whoever they put on him?”
“So I think, once again, lineup versatility, skill, he gives us a different dimension if we want to go with an elite shooting lineup, but Santi’s not just a shooter. He can read a closeout,” May continued. “He’s learned to play against perimeter guys, shot [fake], drive and get in the paint, kick and finish it over. So those will be one of the many challenges and the pieces we have to put together for it to be really good.”
Dusty May On Daniel Gafford’s Role
Dallas dove into Daniel Gafford’s numbers this summer, according to May. The staff found he is one of the best finishers around the rim in the league.
“And then you watch him and his ability to score quickly, score through contact, move the ball around. It’s something that he already can hang his hat on,” May said. “We’re just trying to add a little more to his game as far as being a playmaking decision maker on the perimeter. And also, in our words, he’d be a connector on offense. And then just getting to play more efficiently. He’s going to shoot a few rhythm threes. He’s going to rim protect. We’ve got to get him a little bit better at switching on the smaller players, but he has a lot of ways that he can help this team.”
Gafford played 55 games last season after spraining his ankle on the first day of training camp. May said Gafford will keep shooting threes as long as he continues to earn the right. Ideally, May wants all five players on the floor able to dribble, pass, and shoot.
“And big men typically have big men on them, so it’s easier for them to get clean catches, to get catches in the right and better position,” May said. “But each game calls for something a little bit different. It just gives us a little more diversity on offense and a little more variety for the other teams to scout.”
Gafford’s defense has been impeccable, according to Christie, who said his presence around the rim is making players fan out.
“His presence has been felt offensively. He’s such a weapon with his presence around the rim too, but he’s really good at just getting to the next action, getting guys open,” Christie said. “He’s looked really good.”
Gafford worked on his shot all summer, Christie said.
“Confidence. That’s the biggest thing. Just continue to work and have confidence in it,” Christie said. “His shot looks great. Every time he shoots it, just believe it’s going in. If you miss it, like I said, with that mentality, just forget about it and shoot your next one.”
Dusty May On Cooper Flagg’s Rim Attempts
Cooper Flagg won Rookie of the Year last season after averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 70 games. May sees his transition running and offensive rebounding as paths to more finishes at the rim.
“A number of things. The way he’s running the floor in transition now, we’re excited about what that gives, the opportunities that give him. Him on the offensive glass gives him more rim finishes. He’s so athletic, and he obviously has size and instincts,” May said. “Getting him to take advantage of his offensive rebounding ability, and then if we surround him with better shooting and better spacing and we’re connected as a group where we’re playing off of each other, I think it will organically happen.”
“And then obviously ATOs, he’ll have opportunities to get in space and drive space and attack and things like that,” May continued. “But just playing better basketball, I think it will afford him more opportunities.”
On Saturday, May called Flagg’s rookie 3-point shooting a simple aberration. Flagg shot 29.5% from three last season.
Dusty May On P.J. Washington
May does not care what motivates each individual player, as long as the group is motivated together. He said P.J. Washington has been awesome in camp.
“I think it’s a great position to be in. Motivation comes in a number of forms, and I don’t really care what motivates each and every individual. I’m sure they don’t care what motivates me. It’s just that we’re motivated and we’re willing and excited to do it together,” May said. “P.J.’s been awesome, though. His voice is needed. He checks a lot of boxes when you look at his wingspan and his toughness and his physicality and ability to punish mismatches inside and punish mismatches outside. We need as much offensive and defensive versatility as we can get with toughness and IQ, and he has those.”
May listed size, versatility, length, skill, toughness, and IQ when discussing Washington’s fit with Flagg.
“You probably [heard me say] toughness a couple times,” May said. “I’d like to have 15 of those guys. So the whole thing about how does this guy work with that guy, bad players don’t usually work out well with bad players in any position. Good players with all those other things usually tend to find a solution as long as we’re all committed to finding the right answer.”
Dusty May On Analytics And Coaching In The NBA
The Mavericks are very analytically driven, May said, but he does not believe in absolutes in basketball. He pointed to his Michigan team, which shot efficiently from three but also got to the rim and posted up when needed.
“We have a saying that everything works somewhere and nothing works everywhere. If we have an elite mid-range shooter, he’s going to shoot the right mid-range shots. If we have an elite post player, we’re going to play the post,” May said. “It’s using whatever your guys do well. Kyrie, I think, is maybe one of the top three mid-range shooters in the NBA. Obviously, we want as many quality threes as we can get, but if guys are incredibly efficient at something very specific, I’m definitely not going to look at a spreadsheet and overrule guys with what we call mastery shots.”
Kyrie Irving is back without restrictions, 18 months after tearing the ACL in his left knee. After two days of camp, May said coaching in the NBA is very, very similar to college, apart from not having to go recruiting.
“It’s a great group of guys that are working like crazy and working well together in a gym doing something we all love,” May said. “When you look at the NBA game and the college game, they mirror each other closer than they ever have. Obviously, there’s differences in spacing and rules and things like that, and we’re adapting what we do and also trying to make sure it fits our personnel.”
May would not single out coaching influences. He said he has learned an incredible amount from players, and he and assistant coach Joe Boylan settle questions by studying the league’s best players.
“Joe Boylan on our staff and I, if there’s ever a question where we’re trying to decide whether we do this or do that, we say why don’t we just either ask or study the really, really good players or [elite] players, and that’s usually the answer,” May said. “So I’ve been very fortunate to coach a lot of really good players and they’re great coaches, and so I’ve just kind of picked a little bit from everyone.”
Morez Johnson Jr.’s Draft Night
Morez Johnson Jr. played for May on Michigan’s 2026 national championship team before Dallas took him ninth overall in June. May said he did not know the Mavericks were taking Johnson until they had already taken him. He had missed a text from Mavericks president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri at the draft.
“So I was shocked. Their agents started looking at me. Morez and Aday have the same agency,” May said. “So they started looking at me. So at that point, I used some deductive reasoning and figured it was one of the two, but I didn’t know which one.”
Johnson is ahead of the curve from their time together at Michigan, May said. The Mavericks have changed some terminology, though.
“So there’s a couple times [in] practice when he’ll walk up and say, hey, is this term now what we call that?” May said. “So it’s a slight advantage, but not much.”
Naji Marshall called Johnson a dog who can really shoot it.
“He can really affect both ends of the floor, whether it’s defense, offense. So like I said, I’m excited to play with him too,” Marshall said. “And I love the pass, so him being a [lob] threat, something else that intrigues me, and I just can’t wait till he get out there.”
Max Christie On Dusty May And His Summer
The first two days have been really competitive, according to Christie, and the new staff has been heavily involved with its voices. He called May phenomenal.
“His involvement with us as players and his voice is, he’s just being so vocal, especially for a first-year head coach,” Christie said. “And it’s been very fun to be coached by him. It’s been a pleasure to watch, to see how he thinks the game, how he puts players in positions to score and be successful.”
May has come to players for questions and advice, Christie said. He has also given Christie the green light to shoot when he is open.
“He’s just putting me in positions and in actions and giving me the green light to shoot when I’m open, obviously,” Christie said. “Like you said, me being able to shoot the three and space the floor for our team is going to be important. He’s just really empowering me to do that.”
Christie spent much of the summer at the Mavericks’ facility working to get in the best shape he could. He wanted to make his presence felt with the new staff and leadership.
“But a lot of it was just getting in the best shape I possibly could be, being able to run up and down the floor, being able to shoot when I’m tired, shoot on the move, and obviously being able to guard at a high level too,” Christie said.
Christie also worked on primary ball handling this summer, along with everything else May has asked of him.
“Everything that Dusty has said he wants me or anybody else to do, we’ve all been working on this summer,” Christie said. “That’s one thing I appreciate about him as well. He’s been here, he’s been present, and he’s been so involved in all of our workouts.”
Christie said at media day that he wants to guard the other team’s best player every night. That starts with being in shape.
“I welcome challenges, and I want to be able to be a versatile player. I don’t want to be known as just a three-point shooter. I want to be able to play both sides of the ball,” Christie said. “And it is a mentality. Obviously you’ve got to study players’ games and their tendencies, but at the end of the day, I think it’s an effort level and how much in shape are you.”
Irving looks phenomenal, according to Christie.
“It’s always fun to play with a Hall of Famer and he’s someone that I really enjoy playing with,” Christie said. “Obviously watching him create and then being his teammate as well, I’m the beneficiary of a lot of just his basketball.”
Klay Thompson spent two seasons with Dallas before the Mavericks bought out his contract on Aug. 21. Christie said he has tried to adopt Thompson’s demeanor.
“He kind of has this goldfish mentality where he forgets about the play that just happened, good or bad,” Christie said. “And so that’s something that I’ve tried to adopt and something that I try to implement into my game as well.”
Zaccharie Risacher and Tarik Biberović have been shooting it well, Christie said. So has Lively.
“Lively’s been practicing outside of practice, but he’s been shooting it, yeah,” Christie said.
Half of the roster is new, Christie said, so the first week is about building relationships with those players and the new staff.
Naji Marshall On Willie Green And Rob Fodor
Everybody is healthy and the energy is high, according to Marshall. He described Dallas’ identity this way:
“Just a high-paced defensive team who crashes the glass and creates easy shots for their teammates,” Marshall said.
Marshall is open to more ball-handling responsibilities, however May wants to use him.
“However the team wants to use me or needs me, I’m available,” Marshall said. “So if that’s the case, just do my best and hopefully I can create good shots for all my teammates.”
Willie Green coached Marshall in New Orleans and is now May’s lead assistant. Marshall called the reunion a full-circle moment.
“Now that Willie, we linked up again, I feel like I’m comfortable. Going into the season, it makes it much more easier,” Marshall said. “I feel like easier communication, understanding that we really know each other and he knows how to get to me, I know how to talk to him. So I think it’s beautiful.”
Green helped him worry less about things he could not control, according to Marshall.
“He just helped me be more of a dog. Worry less about things I couldn’t control, control what I can,” Marshall said. “Just worrying about what helps the team and stop worrying so much about myself. For real, a lot of different things, life outside of basketball, he taught me some stuff.”
On Saturday, Marshall worked on his shooting mechanics with assistant coach Rob Fodor. He has worked with Fodor every day since.
“Hell yeah. He fixed my whole swag,” Marshall said. “That guy is unbelievable.”
Nothing technical will look different, according to Marshall, who expects a smoother shot.
“Probably not technical. Probably look a little smoother. Probably go in more,” Marshall said. “That’s what I’m expecting.”
Marshall said Thompson was the same person every day during his time in Dallas.
“Klay is just an overall good dude. I feel like that goes a long way with careers,” Marshall said. “I feel like Klay on and off the court, same person every day, shows up, tries to compete, won four championships. So you know what he’s doing. And just the gems he dropped off and just his presence was a blessing.”
The Mavericks open the preseason against the Houston Rockets on Oct. 9 in Macao.
