Shams Believes the Mavs Have the Best Frontcourt in the NBA, Do They?

Are the Mavs That Good?

“What Nico Harrison, the general manager of the Dallas Mavericks, is building is arguably the best frontcourt in the NBA,” he said on ESPN’s Get Up.

“What Nico Harrison, the general manager of the Dallas Mavericks, is building is arguably the best frontcourt in the NBA… This is a deep front line that we’re seeing right now.”

Shams Charania on the Mavs 🗣️pic.twitter.com/2hDQcTucuM

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 26, 2025

Shams Charania is known as the ultimate NBA insider and hoops guru throughout the league. ESPN is lucky to have him on its payroll, and it’s not often he makes definitive remarks like stating the Mavericks have the best frontcourt in the league.

Therefore, I won’t accuse him of creating clickbait. He simply doesn’t need it, but I will accuse him of getting a wee bit carried away. Cooper Flagg was the only choice as the first overall pick, and the Mavs were damn lucky to get him. He’s been wowing coaches and teammates since he could walk and was one-and-done at Duke before the NBA came calling.

3️⃣2️⃣@Academy // #FlaggCaptured #MFFL pic.twitter.com/FqjjU8b8NM

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) June 26, 2025

But will he be all that and a bag of chips in his rookie season? Cooper Flagg’s stats speak for themselves, but coronating a frontcourt consisting of the aging Anthony Davidson, an 18-year-old Can’t Miss Kid who has no NBA games on his resume, and Derek Lively, a 21-year-old center who hasn’t even averaged nine points a game in his first two seasons, as the best in the game seems to be a stretch.

I am always suspicious of talking heads like Shams, who get paid millions of dollars to share breaking news and regale us with their opinions but never make NBA picks or NBA predictions backed by cold, hard cash. Nice gig if you can get it, right?

Is This a Title Team?

Any team that is pinning its hopes on Kyrie Irving has my condolences. I saw him close up for two seasons as a member of the Boston Celtics, and he’s all about Kyrie. Irving has won only one NBA crown in his 14 NBA seasons, and that just happened to be the year he was playing with LeBron in his prime, circa 2016.

The 33-year-old hybrid guard, fresh off ACL surgery, will be collecting beaucoup bucks while rehabbing his way back into the lineup. If that doesn’t have the fragrance of a championship contender, nothing does.

Just the sixth franchise over the last 35 years to have three No. 1 picks on the roster at the same time🤞#MFFL pic.twitter.com/4LITQmQPlF

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) June 26, 2025

Oh, and backup center Daniel Gafford just inked a three-year, $60 million deal that is certain to get fans to sit up and take notice.

Look, the addition of Flagg is a big deal for this franchise, but he hasn’t played a minute in the NBA. He’s also just 18 freakin’ years old! I don’t know what you were doing at 18, but I guarantee you’re not doing them now. The boy’s body and mind have to mature. It’s no knock on him; it’s the way it is when you’re still a teenager.

In case you’re wondering, the oddsmakers at BetUS have installed the Mavs at +3000 to win it all this year, and I think that number is large enough to attract some of the squarer NBA bettors. But if you’ve got a hunch, bet a bunch!