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Dallas Mavericks guard's absence from team revealed
Oct 14, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams (10) reacts against the LA Clippers during the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks haven't had guard Brandon Williams for the last two games, listing him out due to personal reasons. At the time, there was no explanation for his absence, but there seems to be one now.

Williams was supposed to fly home on Saturday for the loss in the family or a friend, but while he was in the airport, he was arrested and charged with 1.3 ounces of marijuana while trying to go through security, per Ron Harrod Jr. of DLLS Mavs. While laws are relaxing most places for marijuana usage, it is still illegal in Texas, and you can't have more than 0.3 ounces when trying to go through TSA at any airport. That's the bigger issue, more than anything.

The NBA has also relaxed its stance on marijuana usage over the last few years, so it may not lead to any extra punishment from the league. The team still could, but Harrod reported that they declined to make any comment thus far. Jason Kidd may say something about it before or after Wednesday's game against the Indiana Pacers.

Mavericks' Point Guard Rotation Takes Another Hit

The Dallas Mavericks are in desperate need of quality point guard play, and they just aren't getting any right now. Kyrie Irving is out as he recovers from the ACL tear from March, and there hasn't been any timeline established for his return.

The same goes for Dante Exum, who has been out with some kind of mystery "knee injury management" all season so far, and there really hasn't been an update. And now with Williams going through these legal issues, that only leaves D'Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy, and Ryan Nembhard as point guards available, and Nembhard is on a two-way contract.

That's why we've seen Jason Kidd try to utilize Cooper Flagg as a point guard, even if he's never played the position before. It's been a huge learning curve for him, as going from never playing the position to playing it in the NBA while having a Hall-of-Fame point guard as his coach is a tall mountain to climb.

And the lack of playmaking has been very apparent this season. Williams hasn't played too much this season, appearing in just two games for 19 total minutes, and he has yet to score a point. But he was dynamite to finish last season; they just haven't found a way to capitalize on that this year.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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