"Defense wins the last place": Fans Blast Nico Harrison For Mavericks' Steep Downfall Amid Luka Doncic's Lakers Dominance

The Dallas Mavericks have now found themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, and fans are scrambling to explain what has gone wrong this season. Out of frustration, some of them have even identified a scapegoat for the Mavericks' woes.

On social media, Mavs fans are pinning the blame on Nico Harrison. Among other things, Harrison is being accused of putting together a lackluster roster that could possibly finish the season with a record worthy of a high lottery pick.

"Defense wins the last place," one fan tweeted.

alex8games

@alex8games

Defense wins the last place

Kurt Nimphius' Hair

@Hcp1Hcp

It's Nico's crowning achievement to tank for another #1 pick in June 2026.

Dokstar☆

@LuckyDokstar

It would be very funny if they got Darryn or AJ or Cam to pair with Coop

Meanwhile, some fans noted brought up the Luka Doncic trade that Harrison orchestrated to the detriment of the Mavs, not to mention the benefit of the second-place LA Lakers (7-2).

"Y’all realize this dude did create a Championship contender - but it’s not the Mavericks. It’s the Lakers," one fan pointed out.

Analleline

@analleline

Y’all realize this dude did create a Championship contender - but it’s not the Mavericks. It’s the Lakers.

rocket

@bizzyrocket

Traded Luka for a bag of chips. 😂

Dead Poet

@RanceRider2

meanwhile luka is averaging a 40 point triple double and the lakers are #2 in the west. guess the luka davis trade wasn’t a good idea

With the New Orleans Pelicans winning their first two games of the season, the Mavericks find themselves tied for the worst record in the West. The numbers show that they have several areas for improvement on both ends of the floor.

While the Mavs are a top-5 team in defense, they are dead last in offensive rating. They're 28th in true shooting and assist-to-turnover ratio, meaning that their shooting efficiency is highly suspect and their ability to get quality possessions is not quite there yet.

While the Dallas roster has a nice balance of young prospects and veterans on paper, some key names have not been entirely dependable thus far. Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, and Daniel Gafford have already missed games due to injury, while Klay Thompson hasn't found his stride yet in terms of offensive production.

The Mavericks have time to reverse their fortunes, but they'll have to take solid steps forward, sooner rather than later.

"I miss that guy": Fan claims to hear Klay Thompson talk about former Mavericks star Luka Doncic during game vs Pelicans

For what it's worth, a fan is claiming in a viral tweet that Mavericks guard Klay Thompson was talking affectionately about his former teammate during a recent Dallas vs. New Orleans matchup.

"True story: the guy sitting next to me was wearing a Doncic jersey and as Klay was walking by to check in, Klay just randomly points to the jersey and says 'I miss that guy,'" the fan tweeted.

Josh

@theMcSwag

True story: the guy sitting next to me was wearing a Donic jersey and as Klay was walking by to check in, Klay just randomly points to the jersey and says “I miss that guy” 😔

The Mavs went on to lose in heartbreaking fashion to the Pelicans, who secured a 101-99 victory on Wednesday. If the fan is telling a true story, Thompson's words about Doncic are even more emotional than he perhaps intended.