The Dallas Mavericks couldn’t send their home crowd home happy Saturday night, falling 122-106 to the San Antonio Spurs in their home opener. With Cooper Flagg sidelined by a shoulder injury and Kyrie Irving taking the night off for rest, the veteran leadership of Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington, plus newcomers like Zaccharie Risacher and Marcus Sasser, had a huge burden to shoulder against their intrastate rivals.
New Faces and Locked-In Vets Stepped Up
Despite the loss, some players definitely made their mark. Zaccharie Risacher, a newcomer, showed exactly why fans should be hyped, earning a B+ grade. This kid is pure energy, all the time. His offense is still a bit streaky, no doubt, but he’s fast, he’s interested in defending, and honestly, it feels like he gets taller every time he hits the court! His value went way beyond the stat sheet Saturday, bringing some much-needed defensive intensity in what turned out to be a super high-scoring game. He flashed what he can do on offense too, with a slick pull-up three and a fastbreak layup. Finishing 4-of-8 from the field and 1-of-3 from deep, if he can just get that offensive consistency down, he’s going to be a massive asset this season.
Veteran Naji Marshall also pulled in a solid B+, stepping into the starting point guard role and delivering 10 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal in just 21 minutes. He put in a well-rounded game, hitting 4-of-8 from the floor and even nailing his sole three-point attempt, making the most of every second he was out there. And don’t sleep on Daniel Gafford either. He got a B+ for shaking off whatever weird spell he was under in the first game. Gafford looked way more locked in, dropping 12 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in his 23 minutes. He was still battling on the boards a bit and, yeah, had too many fouls, but that’s a huge step up!
Room for Improvement
Not everyone had a night to remember. P.J. Washington, who got a B, started strong and had a good overall game, but it felt like he disappeared a bit as the game wore on. He was super efficient from the floor, hitting 6-of-12, but he bricked all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. And then there’s Max Christie, who walked away with a C grade. He actually started by driving to the basket, which is exactly what the coaches want to see instead of just camping out for threes. He missed that early drive, but hey, at least he showed the versatility! But then, what happened? He went right back to camping at the three-point line for the rest of the game. Finishing 2-of-9 overall and a rough 1-of-5 from deep, Christie might be looking at reduced minutes if this trend continues, especially with newcomers like Sasser showing promise and Risacher’s all-around game.
While the home opener didn’t go the Mavs’ way, the energy from Risacher and the bounce-back from Gafford are definitely something to build on for the season ahead.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mavs Moneyball.
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