As the visitors’ locker room in Houston emptied and Harrison Barnes was the last Maverick getting cleaned up for the flight back to Dallas, he had some interesting thoughts about the collection of young players who have finished the last two games.
They may or may not be pieces of the Mavericks’ future. But this is what this team is for now.
So when Kyle Collinsworth, Yogi Ferrell, Johnathan Motley and Jalen Jones are on the court together with Dennis Smith Jr., it’s about growth and culture.
There was no questioning how passionate those players were about laying everything on the floor, particularly in Houston when the Mavericks stayed within striking range most of the way against a Rockets team that has won eight in a row and had pounded a good Denver team by 26 two nights earlier.