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Dallas Mavericks: Dewayne Dedmon Is A Free Agency Fit

By Quentin Haynes

Apr 11, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and Greg Monroe (15) watch as Orlando Magic center Dewayne Dedmon (3) drives to the net during the second half of a basketball game at Amway Center. The Magic won 107-98. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and Greg Monroe (15) watch as Orlando Magic center Dewayne Dedmon (3) drives to the net during the second half of a basketball game at Amway Center. The Magic won 107-98. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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Can Dewayne Dedmon be a nice backup center and rim protector for the Dallas Mavericks in free agency?

After losing in the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks find themselves in the same position as they have in the previous four years — Dirk Nowitzki in tow, but lacking the returning players or assets to make the concluding seasons of the Nowitzki era a memorable one.

The Mavericks have just four players locked in for the 2016-17 season and are in need of some talent at the top of the roster.

With no first round pick in this year’s draft, the Mavericks are going to find it hard to attempt to lure one of the stars in free agency while also filling in the roster with a formidable bench.

Justin Anderson and Wesley Matthews serve as the team’s only wing players who can defend and space the floor, and Devin Harris and J.J. Barea are the only two point guards locked in. After that, it’s a pretty clean slate.

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With Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons –both expected to opt out of their contracts this summer — hitting free agency, the Mavericks will need to once again fill out the roster with some solid players for cheap.

The only problem is that everyone will have cap space and the salary cap is going to jump to a projected $90 million. One player who might fit the bill? Orlando Magic center Dewayne Dedmon, who enters free agency as one of the more unheralded free agent centers.

After splitting time among three teams as a rookie, Dedmon found a home in Orlando in his sophomore season, where he’s been backing up Nikola Vucevic over the last two years. The resume, on the surface, isn’t impressive: 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in just 12.2 minutes per game

However, there are some positives for Dedmon that suggests he could be a bit better than that.

His Per 36 Minutes scoring numbers have taken a noticeable jump compared to his previous three seasons, averaging 13.0 points, after two seasons averaging under 10 points. This suggests there’s a bit more there on the offensive end.

One constant has been Dedmon on the glass. This past season, Dedmon recorded 11.6 rebounds per 36 minutes with a true rebounding rate of 17.9 percent. Dedmon’s assist rate went up ever-so-slightly to 2.7 percent, while his turnover rate decreased to 13 percent.

The main skill for Dedmon, however, is his ability to defend the rim.

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    • Last season, Dedmon averaged two blocks per game, but offered more than shot-blocking when manning the post. His 45.7 percent shooting allowed at the rim ranked 11th in the league and his 1.17 points saved per 36 ranked 21st in the league, via Nylon Calculus.

    Despite receiving a small portion of minutes last season, Dedmon did a great job of deterring shots and making it tough for opponents to finish at the rim.

    I’m also mildly curious about his offensive game. Dedmon is solid at the rim, knocking down 64 percent of his attempts last season. However, he also went 8-of-13 from 10-14 feet last season.

    With such a small sample size, it’s good to be cautious, but even at USC, he attempted a handful of midrange shots. Combine that with good free throw shooting and I wonder if he could be a solid shooter from that range.

    It’s a small thing that won’t be a huge part of his game, but the ability to score away from the basket would give Dedmon a bit more value. The Mavericks are also a team that helped current Blazer Al-Farouq Aminu realize his destiny as a “3-and-D” forward.

    If Dedmon can continue to show his ability to hit that shot, perhaps he can get a fair amount of attempts there with whatever team he signs with this offseason.

    What’s going to hold Dedmon back is that he fouls a ton. In 12 minutes a game, he averaged about 1.7 fouls per contest and 6.4 per 36 minutes. It limits both his minutes on the floor, as well as his price entering free agency.

    The Mavericks have been rumored as a hot spot for Dwight Howard in the event of him leaving the Houston Rockets. If Howard stays in Houston or opts for another team, the Mavericks may look to add two big bodies who can play center at a cheaper rate.

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    If that’s the case, Dewayne Dedmon makes sense as someone who can fill in for cheap, could defend the rim and could have a bit more growing left to do in his game.

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