Mavericks offensive rebounding became painfully predictable last season. A jumper hit the rim, Dallas failed to reach the loose ball, and another possession died while five Mavericks turned and ran the other way.
The numbers make that problem difficult to dismiss. TeamRankings placed Dallas 25th in offensive rebounding percentage at 23.2% during the 2025-26 season. The Mavericks also finished 27th in offensive rating at 111.2, according to Basketball Reference, despite playing at the NBA’s fourth-fastest pace.
For a team that finished 26-56, those lost possessions piled up.
Now Dusty May inherits a frontcourt built to change that. Dereck Lively II gives Dallas length above the rim when healthy. Daniel Gafford supplies strength and reliability. P.J. Washington rebounds well from the four. Santi Aldama adds another 6-foot-11 body, while ninth overall pick Morez Johnson Jr. arrives after winning a national championship under May at Michigan.
The Mavericks no longer lack size.
What happens after the next missed shot will tell us whether that size actually matters.
Dallas cannot ignore a 23.2% offensive rebounding rate
Dallas’ rebounding problem starts with one uncomfortable number: 23.2%.
Finishing 25th means the Mavericks simply failed to extend enough possessions. That weakness hurt even more because they already struggled to manufacture efficient half-court offense.
Picture a familiar possession this season. Kyrie Irving snakes around a Lively screen, gets the opposing center leaning backward and rises for a soft pull-up from 12 feet. The shot clips the rim.
That miss should not automatically become the opponent’s possession.
If Lively has already wedged his defender beneath the basket, Dallas suddenly has another chance. Perhaps he tips the ball back toward Irving. Washington might fly in from the weak side. Lively could finish it himself before the defense can reset.
Those sequences can rescue possessions that produced nothing the first time.
May does not need Dallas crashing recklessly after every shot. He does need defined responsibilities. His centers should punish favorable matchups around the rim, while Washington and Johnson can attack from the weak side when space opens.
Meanwhile, guards and wings must know when the gamble becomes too dangerous.
Crashing the boards cannot survive as a hustle slogan. May has to build it directly into the offense.
Dereck Lively II can change the entire equation
No player raises the ceiling of Dallas’ rebounding plan more than Dereck Lively II.
At 7-foot-1, Lively can influence a possession without touching the ball on its first action. He screens hard, dives behind defenders and forces opposing centers to stay attached around the rim.
That pressure becomes especially valuable beside Irving and Cooper Flagg.
When Flagg beats his first defender, Lively’s man faces an ugly choice. Step toward Flagg and risk giving up the lob. Stay attached and allow Flagg another step toward the basket.
Even a miss can favor Dallas. Lively may have already dragged the opposing center into help position or buried him beneath the rim, creating a cleaner path toward the rebound.
His recovery makes the projection less certain.
Lively appeared in only seven games last season before undergoing surgery on his right foot in December. Dallas initially expected him back for 2026-27 training camp. By late June, though, Lively said he had progressed to moving and lifting but had not yet reached the running-and-jumping stage of rehabilitation.
That matters because so much of his value comes from explosion.
Dallas needs more than Lively occupying space near the basket. It needs him launching off two feet, winning vertical battles and recovering quickly enough to sprint back when a crash fails.
If that burst returns, May gains a player capable of salvaging ugly possessions without demanding designed touches. A missed Flagg layup becomes a tip. An Irving floater that spins out becomes another chance.
Lively’s availability prevents Dallas from building everything around him, but his ability to keep possessions alive still gives this frontcourt its highest ceiling.
Daniel Gafford keeps the plan from falling apart
That uncertainty makes Daniel Gafford more important than his place on the depth chart suggests.
Gafford averaged 9.5 points and 6.9 rebounds last season while shooting 65.5% from the field. More importantly for May, he already knows how to survive offensively without touches.
He can sprint into a screen, dive toward the rim and stay involved once the play breaks down.
A missed Irving pull-up should find Gafford wrestling for inside position, not watching from the dunker spot. When Flagg barrels into the lane and forces the opposing center to help, Gafford can slide behind that rotation and hunt whatever comes off the rim.
That gives Dallas continuity.
The rebounding plan cannot disappear whenever Lively sits, rests or works through a cautious early-season workload. Gafford gives May another traditional center capable of handling many of the same dirty-work responsibilities.
Dallas cannot gamble on an aggressive identity if it depends entirely on Lively’s health.
Gafford prevents that.
Morez Johnson Jr. already understands May’s expectations
The most intriguing piece might be the rookie who already knows what his coach wants.
May emphasized offensive rebounding during Johnson’s time at Michigan. Before the Wolverines’ 2025-26 season, he openly discussed the need to create extra possessions when shots stopped falling. Johnson also described crashing the glass as a major part of his game.
Then Michigan won the national championship.
Johnson averaged 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds across 40 games before Dallas selected him ninth overall. At 6-foot-9 and roughly 250 pounds, he arrives with an NBA-ready frame and a role that does not require ten shots per night.
May already knows what his physicality looks like in meaningful games, while Johnson knows his coach will reward work around the rim. That familiarity could shorten the rookie’s learning curve.
Dallas does not need Johnson demanding post-ups while Flagg and Irving control possessions.
His path is dirtier: sprint into the action, establish contact early and attack the glass when the opening appears.
NBA veterans will make that job harder. Bigger centers will meet him sooner, while experienced rebounders will lean into him before the ball reaches the rim.
Yet those battles may become his quickest route to meaningful minutes. If Johnson can turn two or three dead possessions into extra Dallas shots every night, May will have a difficult time keeping him off the floor.
Cooper Flagg has to pick his spots
Cooper Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a rookie, giving Dallas another large, instinctive rebounder.
But May cannot send him after every miss.
When Flagg drives from the wing and leaves a layup short, pursuing the rebound makes sense. His momentum already carries him toward the basket.
The calculation changes when Irving runs a high pick-and-roll and Flagg waits above the break. If Gafford rolls and Washington already attacks the weak side, Flagg charging into the paint only leaves Dallas more exposed.
One outlet pass can turn a failed crash into a three-on-two.
That is why Flagg’s role should change with the possession. Attack when the play naturally pulls him toward the rim. Retreat when Dallas already has enough bodies committed.
The Mavericks need his rebounding.
They need his transition defense more.
P.J. Washington can punish smaller matchups
Washington gives May another way to attack the glass without compromising the entire floor.
He averaged 7.0 rebounds per game last season and carries enough strength to battle larger forwards inside. His usual offensive positioning can also create natural rebounding angles.
Consider Washington stationed in the corner while Irving and Lively run an action on the opposite side.
The opposing center tracks Lively. Washington’s defender may turn toward the ball or begin leaking out after the shot.
That is Washington’s opening.
One hard cut toward the weak-side rim can put a physical 6-foot-7 forward against a smaller wing who never established a box-out.
Dallas should hunt those moments.
Aldama changes the equation in other lineups. His shooting can pull a frontcourt defender farther from the basket, opening space for Flagg and the centers rather than adding another body to the rebounding scrum.
That variety gives May options. Instead of asking every big forward to play the same way, he can tailor the Mavericks offensive rebounding assignments around the lineup on the floor.
But every extra body Dallas sends toward the rim creates a responsibility somewhere else.
That is where the gamble begins.
The danger starts when Dallas fails to get the ball
Every aggressive offensive-rebounding team eventually faces the same problem.
What happens when the gamble fails?
Dallas played at a 101.7 pace last season, fourth-fastest in the league according to Basketball Reference. The Mavericks already know how quickly one missed shot can become a layup at the other end.
Send three players toward the rim, lose the rebound, and the opponent can attack a numbers advantage before Dallas gets organized.
May cannot allow extra effort on the glass to create easy points in transition.
He needs discipline behind the aggression. If Lively crashes, a teammate must protect the top of the floor. When Johnson attacks from the weak side, a guard has to sprint back rather than chase the same loose ball.
Washington and Flagg must make the same read. Once Dallas commits enough bodies to the glass, everyone else has to retreat.
Those choices happen in fractions of a second. They will determine whether the Mavericks create useful second chances or simply leave themselves exposed.
That balance matters even more while Irving returns from a torn ACL and Lively works back from major foot surgery. Dallas should not turn every miss into a track meet.
May needs his team to attack with purpose, then recover with urgency.
That is the balance Dallas has to find.
Camp will reveal whether Dallas’ size has purpose
The Mavericks offensive rebounding question may not generate the attention surrounding Irving’s return, Flagg’s second season or May’s first year on an NBA sideline.
Still, it could quietly shape all three.
Dallas finished 27th in offensive rating last season. A team that inefficient cannot casually surrender recoverable possessions.
May now has the personnel to demand more.
Lively can provide vertical pressure if his foot allows him to regain his explosion. Gafford gives Dallas a sturdy alternative. Johnson already understands May’s emphasis on second chances. Washington can attack favorable weak-side matchups, while Flagg offers another elite rebounder when the possession puts him near the rim.
The pieces fit.
Camp must establish the rules.
Who crashes after an Irving pull-up? Does Flagg attack when Lively has already pulled the opposing center away from the rim? When Johnson comes flying in from the weak side, who protects Dallas against the outlet pass?
Those decisions rarely make highlight reels.
They decide possessions.
Soon enough, a Mavericks shot will hit the rim. Lively may have his defender pinned beneath the basket. Johnson might be coming from the opposite side. Flagg will have a split second to decide whether the rebound belongs to him or whether he needs to sprint the other way.
Last season, too many Dallas possessions ended right there.
May’s first camp challenge is making sure the next one does not.
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FAQs
Why were the Mavericks poor at offensive rebounding last season?
Dallas posted a 23.2% offensive rebounding rate, which ranked 25th in the NBA. Too many misses ended possessions instead of creating second chances.
How can Dereck Lively II improve Mavericks offensive rebounding?
Lively can use his size, screening and vertical athleticism to attack misses around the rim. His recovery from right foot surgery remains important.
What can Morez Johnson Jr. bring to the Mavericks?
Johnson brings size, strength and rebounding. He also played under Dusty May at Michigan, where offensive rebounding received significant emphasis.
Should Cooper Flagg crash the offensive glass more?
Flagg should attack when a possession naturally puts him near the rim. Dallas also needs him protecting transition when teammates already crash.
What is the risk of Dallas chasing more offensive rebounds?
Sending too many players toward the rim can expose Dallas in transition. May needs clear rebounding and retreat responsibilities on every possession.
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