Dallas Mavericks: What Does Doron Lamb Bring to the Table?

It took a bit, but the Dallas Mavericks finally addressed their need at shooting guard. Enter … Doron Lamb?

Yes! One of the many John Calipari-coached Kentucky Wildcats that has fallen through the cracks of NBA rotations was signed by the Mavs on Monday to join their training camp roster. The former second-round pick out of Kentucky spent the first two years of his young career playing in Milwaukee and Orlando.

More from Dallas Mavericks

So, Lamb becomes the third player Dallas adds to their training camp roster, along with

Charlie Villanueva

and

Ivan Johnson

. And much like Villauenva, Lamb has a good chance to make the team if he performs well. Yes, that sounds cliche at first glance, but Lamb is the kind of guy the Mavs need when someone is backing up

Monta Ellis

Lamb hasn’t seen much playing time since being drafted 42nd overall by the Bucks in 2012, In fact, if he’s seen the floor, it’s been a miracle. In his rookie year, Lamb played 47 games (23 in Milwaukee and 24 in Orlando, but he made progress last year playing in 53 games for the Magic, averaging 13.1 minutes per contest.

When he was at Kentucky, Lamb was one of the top 3-point threats in the nation. He shot 48.6 percent from behind the line as a freshman, and 46.6 percent as a sophomore. Even in limited minutes, Lamb has made the most of his 3-point opportunities when he can. He was a 40 percent 3-point shooter last year in Orlando.

That’s the kind of player the Mavs need, even in a limited role. It never hurts to have more 3-point shooting, but when discussing Dallas’ backcourt, it goes beyond being just a necessity. It’s an absolute must. So if you’re taking offshore bets on whether Lamb makes the Mavs’ roster, you’ve got a good chance to be a rich man.

Let’s take a look at his shot chart from last year. Again, he played in only 53 games for Orlando, so I advise to take all of this with multiple grains of salt.

Courtesy of Vorped.com. /

Lamb makes his living beyond that 3-point line. And like most 3-point shooters who are specialized in being lethal, they come from the corner. In this case for Lamb is much, much better at the left corner. Oddly enough, that’s not where he takes the bulk of his shots.

Lamb was 9-of-16 from the left corner last year, good for 56.3 percent. The only other area where he was at his best was at the top of the key. Lamb made 6-of-10. And if you’re looking for the sign that says “STAY AWAY, DORON,” then that’d be on the right side. From the right corner, he made only 3-of-10 attempts. Lamb only made 29.2 percent (7-of-24) of his 3-pointers from the right wing.

But adding a 40 percent 3-point shooter to your team is always a good thing. The Mavs needed that last year from someone not named Jose Calderon.

Dallas needed a backup shooting guard, rather than playing a point guard out of position. But Lamb’s 3-point ability may be a determining factor in him making this team. And if he does, he may not even find much playing time (see Wayne Ellington).

If Lamb doesn’t make the Mavs, can I claim the headline, “Lamb Chopped?”

Home/Dallas Mavericks