Are Dallas Mavericks overrated or underrated heading into 2025-26 season?

O'Donnell was reacting to ESPN's way-too-early power rankings for the 2025-26 season, one that had the Mavericks 13th. Here is why he believes they're overrated.

"Kyrie Irving is very likely out of the year as he rehabs a torn ACL. In his absence, Dallas has a notable lack of ball handling, with free agent addition D’Angelo Russell and holdover Dante Exum being the only things resembling a point guard on this roster. ESPN has the Mavericks as the 8th best team in the West, ahead of the Grizzlies, Spurs, and Trail Blazers.

"My guess is two of those three teams finish with a better record than Dallas, and the Mavs will be back in the lottery this season. Cooper Flagg is going to be awesome as a rookie, but it’s important to remember he’ll be the youngest player in the NBA this season.

"The Anthony Davis-Dereck Lively II front line is super intriguing, but I’m a bit worried about the spacing, as well as AD’s consistently inconsistent availability. This is likely going to be among the worst three-point shooting teams in the league, and I’m not confident that the defense can make up for it."

What Are the Expectations for the 2025-26 Mavericks?

The Dallas Mavericks believe they're contenders once Kyrie Irving returns, but it's unknown exactly when he'll return. He has said he's going to take his time to make sure he comes back fully healthy, but Nico Harrison said at the NBA Summer League a few weeks ago that Irving is ahead of schedule.

Until Irving returns, this roster doesn't make much sense. They have little playmaking, especially if D'Angelo Russell struggles as much as he did last season. Cooper Flagg will be asked to be an on-ball initiator a lot, and rookies often don't drive winning, even when they're great.

So, what should the expectations be? They need to be a .500 team until Irving returns. If they can do that, they'll give themselves a chance to be competitive down the stretch of the season and in the postseason.