The Dallas Mavericks Summer League team hasn’t played up to par so far in July in Las Vegas; with a 92-79 loss to the Miami Heat, Dallas’ Summer League roster now stands at 0-3.
Though, as we all know, Summer League is more useful for assessing young players than it is for obsessively analyzing victories and defeats, so the Mavericks have still had some successful moments.
With Melvin Ajinca’s two-way wing ability proving to be a solid contributor in Summer League for Dallas thus far—possibly even well enough to warrant a roster spot this coming fall—Dallas made a wise decision to trade up to the No. 51 overall pick in exchange for cash considerations during the previous NBA Draft.
A.J. Lawson and Brandon Williams, two players on two-way contracts from the previous season, have also given the Mavericks some excellent performances. With this Summer League session, perhaps the Mavericks can find someone who can have a small impact on the team next year, but only time will tell.
The Mavericks’ choice to let go of Bronny James is maturing admirably.
Though other players in that category and Ajinca have appeared considerably more NBA-ready than James, Dallas can undoubtedly be pleased that they did not choose Bronny James after trading up in the previous year’s draft. James was apparently targeted by the Mavericks, but they ultimately took a different route.
James, to his credit, has played fairly well defensively in four Summer League games, but he’s also shooting an embarrassing 30 percent from the field and has only made two 3-pointers out of 16 attempts in Las Vegas. Prospects in Summer League are bound to experience inconsistencies as they adjust to the speed and intensity of an NBA game.
Though James’s Summer League debut hasn’t gone well to say the least, he did have his finest game of the season last night.
Given Kyrie Irving’s bond with his father, LeBron James, selecting James this past June would have been an intriguing potential ruse to someday entice him to Dallas; yet, even if the Mavericks choose to select Bronny James, the likelihood of that happening would still be low.
Given that they had a pick in Bronny’s potential draft range this past June, many were hopeful that the Mavericks’ pipe dream would come true. However, Dallas made a much better decision by selecting Ajinca, who actually fills a positional need and has a remote chance of making the starting lineup the following season.
For Bronny’s sake, perhaps everything goes smoothly in Los Angeles. As previously said, Summer League doesn’t necessarily predict a player’s success in the NBA, but it appears the Mavericks have avoided a major setback for the time being.
Stay tuned as we will keep you updated on the Dallas Mavericks during this Summer League.