“Defense wins championships.” It’s the albatross Nico Harrison can’t shake, and Anthony Davis and Jason Kidd have to carry it with him. The Mavericks GM made a bold trade at the deadline with an optimistic goal. But then came the losses. First to the Spurs, which was understandable. But losing to the Wizards? Much harder to excuse. Something doesn’t add up.

Now, even Coach Kidd’s decisions are under fire. For a team with sky-high expectations, starting 0–2 has everyone on edge. Davis’ voice matters most right now, and he’s not ready to give up.

After a 92–125 blowout to the Spurs and a 107–117 stumble against Washington, the frustration is real. Cooper Flagg’s debut has fallen flat, D’Angelo Russell’s absence is confusing, and the “Fire Nico” chants are back. Hope is running out fast in Dallas

When Anthony Davis went on a livestream after two consecutive losses, fans asked if he had any worries. His answer? “Zero.”  He further explained, “It’s two games. Just got to be better defensively. I think we’re gonna play the big lineup…We’ve just got to do a better job with our switching, our low man…We’ve gotta do a better job on the defensive end, I think that’s where our biggest problem is.”

Sound familiar? It should. It’s a callback to Nico Harrison’s first press conference after sending franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic to L.A. for Davis. Back then, Harrison defended the move by saying, “If you don’t value AD as an All-NBA and All-Defensive player, then you’re not going to like the trade.”

They never really got to test that theory, thanks to injuries on both sides. But as the 2025–26 season begins, the Mavericks look like Bambi learning to walk on thin ice. And once again, ‘defense’ is the word echoing through Dallas.

Nico Harrison’s keyword gets repeated everywhere

Right after the Wizards’ loss, Jason Kidd was asked about the 0-2 start. He said, “It’s still early, this is game two. A lot we have to work on, but I think a positive, I thought the group that was out there got us back in the game, the energy was high. They were playing the game the right way, it wasn’t just one person trying to do it all, and so the defense was the reason we got back in the game, and then we started to make plays…”

After losing to the Spurs too, he had said, “we’ve gotta be better offensively and that will help our defense.” He also admitted they didn’t pass the ball enough. AD’s comments came after Kidd’s, and to Dallas, it’s starting to sound like a broken record. The comments after AD and Kidd’s statements show they’re tired of the GM’s vision being repeated and not implemented.

The Mavs signed D’Angelo Russell this offseason, and Dallas finally felt they’re getting a playmaker. The video of D’Lo getting that call from Nico and Kidd even struck a chord. But despite that, Kidd has barely put him in the game.

At this point, fans aren’t convinced that losing Doncic’s playmaking and ball movement was worth the defensive advantage. They are just waiting for that defense to kick in.