As much as the Dallas Mavericks' front office played off the team's need for a secondary playmaker and ball-hander off the bench before training camp began, coach Jason Kidd is already realizing that leaning on Josh Green or Frank Ntilikina in that particular role might not cut it. This isn't to say Green or Ntilikina can't be good players for Dallas this season, but rather that they're just cut out for different roles.

During the offseason, it was assumed that Spencer Dinwiddie would move into the starting lineup next to Luka Doncic with the departure of Jalen Brunson. However, given that the Mavs lack a true bench point guard, Kidd said after practice on Saturday that the plan is now for Dinwiddie to lead the second unit now.

“Right now we are looking at Spencer running that (second) group," said Kidd. "I thought he did a good job with that group yesterday being able to set the table for those guys.”

The Mavs deployed a starting lineup of Doncic, rookie guard Jaden Hardy, Reggie Bullock, Dorian Finney-Smith and JaVale McGee in Friday's game against the Orlando Magic. Dinwiddie, Tim Hardaway Jr., Christian Wood and Maxi Kleber were the main fixtures of the second unit. Kidd liked what he saw from both lineups.

“We talked before the game (about) making the pass, sharing the ball. I think that group did that at a very high level and defensively," said Kidd. "Again, the carryover from practice or training camp and last year, that group is understanding of what we are asking them to do.

Many wondered how Christian Wood would respond to coming off the bench for the Dallas Mavericks. Through two preseason games, it appears the Mavs have nothing to worry about, as Wood has fully bought in.

The Dallas Mavericks lost their preseason home opener against the Orlando Magic on Friday. Here are some key observations.

The Dallas Mavericks are no longer undefeated in preseason play under coach Jason Kidd. On Friday night, Dallas fell to the Orlando Magic despite an impressive first half from Luka Doncic and Christian Wood.

"I thought they did it at a high level there in that first half, well first quarter really, and once we got the lead we kind of shut our engines down. So we have to get better and understand that that’s going to happen during the season and we have to learn from that.”

Although it's only preseason, Kidd is once again showing his ability to adapt on the fly when it comes to different lineups and rotations. Kidd will give most of the praise to his players if you ask him about it, but his button-pushing last season was a big reason Dallas was a able to advance as far as the Western Conference Finals.

Given the Mavs' current roster construction, bringing Dinwiddie off the bench makes a lot of sense. The question now is who will start at the two-guard spot? There is a case to be made for Hardaway Jr., given that he's a steady veteran who has played well as a starter next to Doncic in the past. However, having Dinwiddie and Hardaway Jr. both playing with the second unit could give the Mavs a significant bench edge against most other teams in the league.

After leading Dallas with 21 points in his preseason debut on Wednesday, Hardy was thrown into the starting lineup on Friday. He struggled by tallying just six points, three rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes while shooting 2-10 from the field, but he only turned the ball over once and was a +5 in the boxscore plus-minus.

Continuing to start Hardy could be the Mavs' best course of action when in comes to the team's future. Throwing the 20-year-old prospect into the thick of it now and allowing him to grow next to Doncic will only help him going forward. With four other capable veterans surrounding Hardy, the Mavs' starting unit would be just fine ... and then the bench unit could come in and outclass most other teams' bench units.

We'll see which way Kidd leans soon enough, as the start of the regular season is just 11 days away. The Mavs' lineups are likely to change a few more times over the year, but seeing a glaring need and addressing it quickly by moving Dinwiddie to the bench is a great start.

Executive Editor for Dallas Basketball, Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. Founder and lead-host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast.