The main talking point of the Dallas Mavericks' offseason has been about how they'll fill the void left behind by Kyrie Irving, as Irving is set to miss an indefinite amount of time next season, and is undoubtedly the Mavericks' most dynamic shot creator and playmaker on the roster. Dallas brought in D'Angelo Russell on the Taxpayer's MLE to help address Irving's absence, but many analysts and fans in Mavericks land are not of the belief that Russell will be enough of a stopgap presence to help maintain the ship until Irving returns.
These questions over Russell are warranted given he had one of the worst seasons of his career last year in what should be the middle of his prime, but Russell was also in a losing situation with the Brooklyn Nets for a majority of last season, and he has every reason to show out for Dallas this year given it's a contract year.