DALLAS — Dusty May can’t see the Dallas Mavericks settling on a starting five anytime soon. After Wednesday’s practice, the fourth of training camp, the first-year coach said the lineup will be an ongoing question with this team for a number of reasons.
Dallas has 20 players in camp and opens the preseason against the Houston Rockets on Oct. 9 at The Venetian Arena in Macao. The regular season starts Oct. 21 at Houston.
Instead of set units, the staff has spent camp studying smaller combinations. May has seen the speculation online about who is running with the first group.
“Obviously, I’m on social media. I’ve seen about the first team and second team. We haven’t really settled into that now. We’re more or less looking at two- and three-man lineup combinations, one- and five-man lineup combinations,” May said. “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.”
Through four practices, the players have shared the ball the way May hoped. The tempo has been another story.
“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 explained. “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.”
Dusty May On Morez Johnson Jr., Marcus Sasser, And The Macao Trip
Morez Johnson Jr., the ninth overall pick in June, played for May at Michigan and won the 2026 national championship. He has been limited since early in camp and was shooting on the side Wednesday.
“It’s a lower leg soreness. We’re just managing his workload. I think today he was in every other live session, so just a workload manager at this point,” May said.
Practice volume is being set with the trip in mind. May is leaning on the sports medicine staff for how much each player does, and he wants to learn how long each player stays effective on the floor.
“As far as how much we’re loading and things like that, it’s a cumulative effort. We want to be smart. We want to have our players healthy when it really matters,” May said. “And so part of it is just gut feel, intuition, and the other part of it is what the doctors and trainers say as far as who’s practicing with what volume.”
“So we’ll learn more about ourselves, and that way, how long can certain guys play well effectively? Other guys play better after they’ve been in for an extended period. Some guys need shorter bursts,” May continued. “So we’re trying to learn all of those things about our guys now and throughout the preseason especially.”
Guard Marcus Sasser has stood out to May in camp, mostly for what he does away from the ball. Sasser played college basketball at Houston.
“Sass, first of all, I’ve been impressed with his cutting. He’s been a real contributor when he wasn’t even directly involved in the play. He’s had a lot of those hidden plays that really make the team go,” May said. “His shooting, his decision-making has been very sound, and defensively, he played at Houston, so we know we’re going to get his best effort.”
The trip to Macao will be the first test against another team. May called Houston elite defensively and wants lessons the staff can refer back to.
“A number of things. I mean, first and foremost, to see where we are against a team like Houston. It’s different to play against. It’s elite defensively. It has some unique parts,” May said. “Just more lessons that we can refer back to, and also, more than anything else, just continue to learn more about our team.”
The flight doesn’t bother May. He has always enjoyed flying and joked that there would be no complaints from him once the meals arrive. Time away from home is also a chance for players and staff to sit at a different table and get to know each other, he said.
Cooper Flagg On Zaccharie Risacher, New Points Of Emphasis, And The Dallas Wings
NBA officials visited practice Wednesday to go over this season’s points of emphasis, including push-offs and flopping. May likes the push-off focus, partly because he doesn’t think anyone on his roster relies on it.
“Do I like that they’re trying to enforce it? Yeah. Probably because I don’t think we have anyone that relies on it, so yes,” May said. “If we had anyone that was really creative and advantageous to push off, I don’t know if I’d feel the same way.”
Cooper Flagg wants to see what actually gets called. The officials covered a lot of small things, and he thinks some of the changes can help the game on both ends.
“It’s interesting. They talked about a lot of small things and what they’re going to be looking for. So I’m very interested to see how that plays out and what ends up really being called and what they stick to,” Flagg said. “So I’m excited to see, because I think they’re changing some really good things in what they’re looking for, and it can really help our game and what it looks like on both sides of the ball.”
Dallas added shooting across the roster this summer. Zaccharie Risacher and Tarik Biberović have been part of it in camp, and Santi Aldama will join them once he is back to full practice. Risacher has been even more athletic than Flagg realized.
“He’s great. I mean, he’s come in with an incredible attitude. I mean, he’s super athletic, even more than I realized. He’s looked really springy, really in shape, and he just looks ready. He looks really prepared and ready for the season,” Flagg said. “And he’s knocking down shots, creating, getting to the rim. I would say he’s probably our most in-shape guy right now, just running the floor every possession, crashing the glass. So it’s been fun to play with him.”
The Dallas Wings are in the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2023. Hours after Flagg spoke, they beat the Golden State Valkyries 108-100 in overtime at College Park Center in Arlington to even their first-round series. Game 3 is Friday at 8 p.m. CT at Chase Center in San Francisco.
“They’ve had a really good season, obviously. They’ve gotten a lot better the last couple years and this year, obviously. So, I don’t know exactly when they play, but if we’re around, I would love to attend their games and be able to support them,” Flagg said. “It’s really cool what they’ve been able to do. So, supporting them, obviously that’s my WNBA team. It’s really good for them. Excited to be able to watch them.”
