May is right to give Cissé’s ankle priority over another audition

Moussa Cissé was held out of the Dallas Mavericks’ Thursday practice after tweaking his left ankle, and Dusty May’s position was suitably conservative: May thought Cissé could have played a hypothetical Thursday game, but the coach saw no reason to increase the risk for an exhibition. For a Dallas-Fort Worth team already sorting through uncertainty at center, that is the right priority.

The decision also leaves Friday’s preseason finale against Atlanta where it belongs: secondary. May said the staff would monitor swelling, without offering a diagnosis, severity grade or timetable. Cissé’s participation at American Airlines Center is therefore still unsettled.

The Mavericks’ regular season begins Oct. 21 in Houston, and one more rehearsal is a poor trade for adding risk to an ankle concern that still needs assessment.

Cissé had given Dallas a reason to want another look. Against New Orleans on Wednesday, Cissé supplied eight points, six rebounds and three blocks over 16:29. Dallas lost the preseason game 101-97. Four rebounds came on the offensive end, he went 3 of 6 from the field and converted both free throws. He did not play after halftime.

That performance showed the narrow but useful profile Cissé can bring. His offensive rebounding creates extra possessions, and three blocks in limited time indicate genuine activity around the basket. Those traits matter to a Dallas group that may need reliable interior minutes. They do not, however, justify asking him to prove the same point again before the ankle has been properly assessed.

The Wednesday game also exposed why the timing is awkward. Daniel Gafford was dealing with a right-shoulder stinger. Dereck Lively II has been absent since late November 2025 while recovering from two procedures on his right foot. The separate concern for Morez Johnson Jr. was right-shin splints, which kept him out Wednesday, though May indicated Thursday that Johnson was very close to returning.

Those situations should not be blended into one dramatic injury report. Gafford’s shoulder, Lively’s extended recovery and Johnson’s shin problem carry different questions and different timelines. Together, they leave Dallas with fewer easy answers in the middle.

That scarcity can encourage a coaching staff to push whoever is standing, even when the exhibition calendar offers little reward for doing so. May resisted that impulse with Cissé.

After Cissé left Wednesday’s contest, Tobi Lawal and Jorge Diaz-Graham finished the interior work. Their minutes were a practical response to the available personnel, not evidence that Dallas has discovered a settled center rotation. May’s favorable assessment of Diaz-Graham’s physicality after one Dallas practice is meaningful as an early evaluation of that attribute.

It is not proof that the frontcourt can absorb every missing body without adjustment.

Cissé’s broader résumé helps explain why his absence is worth noting. After finishing his college career at Ole Miss, following stops at Oklahoma State and Memphis, Cissé went unselected in the 2025 draft. He played 38 games in his rookie year.

His minutes averaged 13.9 per game. He contributed 1.2 blocks and 5.7 rebounds alongside 4.5 points. His field-goal percentage was 57.4%, and 2.3 of those rebounds came at the offensive end.

In July, Dallas matched a Knicks offer worth $4.7 million across two years, so the organization is evaluating a player it sees as more than temporary depth.

That evaluation does not require a rushed conclusion on Friday. The Mavericks need to learn how Cissé fits with Gafford, Lively and smaller lineups, but those questions are more useful when the player is physically capable of giving normal effort and workload. An exhibition cameo could provide another handful of possessions while offering a much worse outcome if the ankle reacts poorly.

Atlanta is scheduled to visit at 7 p.m. Central Friday. The game can still help Dallas examine Lawal, Diaz-Graham and whatever other combinations remain available. Cissé’s absence, if it continues, would leave one preseason question open. That is a tolerable inconvenience compared with turning an evaluation into an avoidable interruption once the games begin to count.

Sources

Dallas Sports Journal: team reporting

Dallas Sports Journal: team reporting