MACAO — P.J. Washington said Thursday that everybody on the Dallas Mavericks pretty much likes each other before the season has even started, one of several players who described a close locker room during the team’s trip to the NBA China Games.
The Mavericks opened training camp Sept. 26 with a roster reshaped over the summer. Dallas hired coach Dusty May in June, acquired Zaccharie Risacher in a July trade, drafted Morez Johnson Jr. ninth overall, and has Kyrie Irving back from a torn left ACL.
Dallas faces the Houston Rockets on Friday and Sunday at The Venetian Arena.
Dallas Mavericks Players On Chemistry In Training Camp
Washington has spent a lot of time with his teammates since camp opened, and he ties that time together to winning.
“It’s been great. I mean, we’ve spent a lot of time together and the season hasn’t even started. I think everybody pretty much likes each other,” Washington said. “So I think it’s going to be a very good season for us. And winning teams, you want your players to like each other, spend time with each other off the floor. So I think we all enjoy being around each other. And I think he’s gonna do wonders for us on the floor.”
Daniel Gafford described the mood in the building as the opposite of tense.
“I feel like it’s been good. We’ve always been around each other. Anytime that we are around each other, it’s all smiles, it’s energetic, the atmosphere is great,” Gafford said. “It’s not the one where there’s not any type of atmosphere where you walk in and it’s like, oh my goodness, it’s tense. You don’t walk around on eggshells. Every day is a good day for us, for sure. And we’re just building as the days go by.”
Max Christie is entering his fifth NBA season. He has not been through adversity with this group yet, and he expects it to come.
“The camaraderie has been at a high level, I think, so far. In my years up in the NBA, this is one of the more together teams that we’ve had at this point in the season,” Christie said. “And again, it’s the beginning of the season. Nobody, we haven’t really experienced any adversity yet. I mean, there’s going to be things that are going to test us this season and our togetherness, but I think right now we’re in a really good spot.”
How The Macao Trip Is Bringing The Dallas Mavericks Together
The Mavericks flew in from Dallas and went right to practice. Irving pointed to how much the roster has changed over the past few months.
“It’s been great. Outside of the long flight, no excuses made by us because we get a chance to do what we love and travel across the waters, be able to perform in front of an international community. It’s something that not many people get to do,” Irving said. “So basketball being utilized as a vehicle for us is something that we all talk about amongst each other, and it’s a great bonding trip as well.”
“Building chemistry, getting off the plane, getting right to practices and getting up and down the court, it feels great,” Irving continued. “And just thinking about how much change we’ve had over the past few months, new faces in here, so this is a great trip for us to just develop those bonds that we’re gonna need to carry on into the season.”
Risacher, rookies Tarik Biberović and Sergio de Larrea, and others are new to Dallas. Gafford has used the trip to learn about them off the court.
“Definitely, because we’re taking time to be around each other, learn each other, and we got a lot of new faces, so we’re getting used to learning new people, like, of course, Zach, Tarik, and Sergio,” Gafford explained. “We’re getting to learn a little bit more of their culture, a little bit more about them as well, player-wise and off-the-court-wise, too. So we’re just all growing together, and it’s just like we’re building some type of chain-link fence, and it’s something that I feel like is going to grow over the season.”
Johnson said the trip has been great for “being able to pick my teammates’ brains, learn a lot from the guys, build relationships on and off the court.” The 18-hour flight to Macao, he added, left the team no choice but to talk to each other.
Naji Marshall credits May for the energy around the team.
“It’s amazing. It’s very high. All the vibes is very, very high,” Marshall said. “I think that’s good going into the season to start the season off right. So I’m just proud. I appreciate Dusty for bringing that, bringing that energy in.”
After Sunday’s game, the Mavericks return home for preseason games Oct. 14 and Oct. 16. The regular season opens Oct. 21 at Houston.
