Dirk Nowitzki is not taking the Dallas Mavericks’ awful start to the 2025 NBA season well.
Following Friday’s 118-104 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Mavs are now 2-7 on the early season.
Nowitzki, arguably the best player in franchise history, shared his honest thoughts on the mess in his new role as a studio analyst with Prime Video. The 14-time All-Star selection and 2007 NBA Most Valuable Player called out the franchise’s current roster and its inability to create scoring opportunities.
“I feel bad for my Mavs fans. This has been a disastrous start,” Nowitzki said. “Obviously, there’s a hole at point guard and the playmaking position. We knew that hole wasn’t filled this summer. There’s a hole at shot creating, there’s a hole at shot making.
“They’re actually on pace to have a record bad start on offense. They can’t shoot. They can’t make plays. It’s all going side-to-side, east-west, handoffs. It’s been tough to watch.”
Dirk:
“I feel bad for my Mavs fans. This has been a disastrous start. Obviously, there’s a hole at the point guard and playmaking position…at shot creating, at shot making. They can’t shoot, they can’t make plays…nobody can make shots. It’s been tough to watch” pic.twitter.com/GcCD38dshX
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) November 8, 2025
Dallas had high hopes coming into the season thanks to the arrival of No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. While Flagg has played well, the lack of Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis due to injuries has limited the team’s ability to augment his production. It’s also hard not to wonder whether this was a shot at the organization for trading Luka Dončić and failing to replace his All-NBA production.
As for the Prime Video studio show, this is the kind of thing it’s been great at: allowing former players to speak freely and honestly in a refreshing way.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.