For years with Luka Dončić at the controls, the Dallas Mavericks' identity was to take advantage of all open 3-point looks the Slovenian pick-and-roll maestro created and rack up points efficiently.

Until last season, the Mavericks ranked in the top eight in 3-point attempts every year Dončić was with the team. In that same breath, they finished in the top eight in offensive rating four times.

After the Dončić trade in February, Dallas was no longer relying on winning the majority of games by outscoring opponents. General manager Nico Harrison's reasoning behind trading one of the league's best young players was "defense wins championships."

This season, the Mavericks may have to grind out wins -- especially while Kyrie Irving is still recovering from an ACL tear suffered in March.

Here are four questions about the 2025-26 Mavericks with training camp set to open in two weeks.

The Dončić trade made Irving the single most indispensable player on the Mavericks' roster. There's an easy argument to be made that Anthony Davis is the best player Dallas has, but no one is more important than Irving because of the drop-off in on-ball creation behind him.

The Mavericks signed D'Angelo Russell in June to step in for Irving in the starting lineup. Russell gives Dallas some badly needed ballhandling and outside shooting.

Russell played poorly last season for the Los Angeles Lakers to where coach JJ Redick relegated him to the bench. Russell then was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in December. During the 2023-24 season in Los Angeles, Russell averaged 18 points per contest and shot 41.5 percent from 3 on high volume (7.2 attempts per game) while also averaging 6.3 assists.

The 29-year-old lefty is a creative passer but also a streaky scorer who rarely gets all the way to the rim. According to NBA.com tracking data, he averaged 6.1 drives per game last season -- which was fewer than Mavericks players such as P.J. Washington (7.0) and Danté Exum (6.5).

Davis only played nine games with the Mavericks last season, but when he was on the floor, the team used him as an offensive hub. Davis is one of the best play finishers in the NBA. It's possible Dallas asks him to take on more creation responsibility this season than he ever has before.

Russell, No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and Davis are all locks to be in the starting lineup. One of the centers, Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford, will start. That leaves one spot remaining for either Klay Thompson or Washington. Dallas' 3-point shooting numbers were anemic in the games Davis suited up in last year. The attention Thompson still demands on the perimeter could help unclog what is likely to be a crowded floor. Washington, however, is bigger, the better defender and more likely to get downhill off the dribble, if the Mavericks prefer to go that route.

Early in Giannis Antetokounmpo's career in Milwaukee, then-Bucks coach Jason Kidd gave the "Greek Freak" plenty of on-ball reps. Antetokounmpo said it helped spur his development.

"He trusted me," Antetokounmpo said in 2018. "He put the ball in my hands. He pushed me to be great."

Kidd seems ready to try something similar with Flagg, the rookie who won't turn 19 until December. Kidd in June said he wanted to put Flagg at point guard in an effort to push him. The two games Flagg played at summer league in Las Vegas suggested Kidd wasn't kidding. Flagg got Dallas into its offense early and often.

The 6-foot-8 Flagg is power forward-sized, but he might not play that position much this season because of the frontcourt pieces the Mavericks already have around him. Flagg displayed excellent passing chops at Duke, where he led his team in assists. He's a good lob thrower -- a nice skill to have on a team with Davis, Lively and Gafford as vertical threats.

The Mavericks hitting on 1.8 percent odds of landing the No. 1 pick in this year's draft was a lightning bolt. On lottery night, the Mavericks brain trust in Chicago celebrated hysterically. Adding Flagg seemed to rejuvenate some players and staff who were downtrodden after an awful ending to last season.

One of the potential ripple effects of the shocking lottery result is how it could affect Washington's role. The Mavericks don't beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2024 playoffs without him, and last season, Washington's strong play continued. He shot the 3 well (38.1 percent), reliably got to the rim and often took on difficult defensive assignments. Washington also rebounded and was a steadying presence for Dallas as it dealt with the turmoil after trading Dončić in February.

Flagg obviously has a much higher ceiling than Washington, but there is overlap between their games. In June, Harrison made a point to say that he thinks they can play together.

"He (Flagg) did a workout while he was here," Harrison said earlier this year. "P.J. was there. I said, 'P.J., think you guys can play together?' He said, 'Oh yeah, we can play together.' I don't see any jealousy."

Earlier this month, Washington agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $89 million. The deal means he's ineligible to be traded this season. Whether Washington is starting or coming off the bench, he'll be playing big minutes. It will be interesting to see how he and Flagg can work in tandem.

We already know the Mavericks will be without Irving for the first few months of the season. That makes it even more important for Davis and other key contributors to be on the court as much as possible.

A left adductor strain sidelined Davis for six weeks last spring. Harrison said in April he believed Davis wouldn't need offseason surgery. However, in July, reports surfaced that Davis required surgery to repair a detached retina. That is certainly something to monitor early this season.

Davis has played in 65-plus games only five times in his first 13 seasons. For Dallas to have a realistic shot at finishing in the top six in a competitive Western Conference, it will likely need Davis to hit that games-played benchmark, which would also make him eligible for All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year.

The Mavericks will need Lively on the court more consistently this season, as well. The talented 21-year-old played in a combined 91 games in his first two seasons. He had offseason surgery to remove bone spurs from his right foot, but all indications are that he's made a full recovery.

Davis and Lively only played 54 minutes together last season. The Mavericks need to get an extended look at that twin-towers lineup this year.

Cooper Flagg at point guard isn't far-fetched. What other questions follow the Mavs?