Moussa Cisse played just 13.9 minutes a night last season, but his rebounding and on-court defense beat almost everything around him. With Dereck Lively II and Santi Aldama out and Dwight Powell gone, Dallas needs him to bring that same work over more minutes, starting tonight against the Rockets.
Glass And Rim First
Cisse's value is easy to read. In 38 games last season he averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 13.9 minutes, and he grabbed 18.2% of available rebounds while on the floor. He shot 57.4% from the field, took zero threes and posted a 13.6% usage rate with a 2.3% assist rate. He isn't a hub on offense and Dallas shouldn't ask him to be one. He finishes what Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving create, he protects the rim and he ends possessions with a rebound.
Better Than The Team
Last season Dallas had a 115.5 defensive rating and a -5.2 net rating. With Cisse on the floor, those numbers were 110.7 and +0.5. That gap is the case for giving him more minutes. He already got them late last season: 26.0 minutes a night over his last five games, and 13 more a night over a three-game stretch with a teammate out. The sample is small, but the job is the same one he faces now. His weak spot is the free throw line, where he shot 46.9%, so opponents have a reason to foul him when he catches deep.
Houston Tests The Workload
The frontcourt has thinned out quickly. Lively (foot) and Aldama (knee) are both out and projected back October 23, and Powell was waived October 19. That leaves Cisse and Daniel Gafford as the healthy bigs, with P.J. Washington and Flagg sliding up. Alperen Sengun averaged 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists last season, and Steven Adams is carrying a right calf issue. The verdict: Cisse doesn't need to score. He needs to win the glass, stay out of foul trouble and stay on the floor. At $2.2M, if he can give Dallas starter-level minutes at that rebounding rate, he's one of the best values on the payroll.
Is Moussa Cisse playing against the Rockets tonight?
He is not on the injury report. With Dereck Lively II and Santi Aldama out, he and Daniel Gafford are the healthy bigs for the opener in Houston.
How much is Moussa Cisse's contract with the Mavericks?
Cisse earns $2.2M in 2026-27 and $2.6M in 2027-28.
