In his post-game presser following an embarrassing home loss to the Pelicans, Head Coach Jason Kidd claimed the Dallas Mavericks’ offensive struggles were just “missed open shots”—a cold streak that would soon thaw. But eight games into 2025–26, the numbers and the film agree on something harsher: the Mavericks aren’t just cold. They’re uncreative.

Fast Pace, Futile Offense

Dallas is playing fast—5th in the league in pace—and scoring like the worst team in basketball, ranking dead last (30th) in Offensive Rating through the first eight games. That combo—high pace, bottom-tier efficiency—doesn’t scream bad luck. It screams a system taking more bad shots, faster.

This is where Kidd’s shield cracks. By shot-location models, the Mavericks’ expected eFG% sits around 54.6% (19th)—already belo

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