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Dallas Mavericks: A Look At Some Intriguing Summer League Players

By Cole Mentzel

Jan 23, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dwight Powell (8) cheers on his team during the game against the Chicago Bulls at the American Airlines Center. The Bulls defeated the Mavericks 102-98. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dwight Powell (8) cheers on his team during the game against the Chicago Bulls at the American Airlines Center. The Bulls defeated the Mavericks 102-98. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dallas Mavericks portion of the Summer League is currently underway. Though they haven’t been very successful early on, there has been a few players that have impressed. Whether they are rookies or players who have been in the NBA, the Mavs are seeing a few guys develop right in front of their eyes.

Dwight Powell

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Dwight Powell began his career with the Boston Celtics before eventually being moved to the Mavericks in the Rajon Rondo trade. He didn’t do much with the Celtics but Dallas provided him with key opportunities to show his worth. He would always get to play in garbage time but when other players would get rested, he would have more time to show that he could contribute.

Overall, it was still obvious that he needed some work and he needed to be developed but there was a glimmer of hope that Powell could grow into something good for the Mavericks franchise.

This summer, he put in a lot of work to try to improve his game and work on the fundamentals. Powell is only 6’10”, which means he is slightly smaller than normal for a center, so he needed to work on his outside shooting and his inside game.

In his first two Summer League games this season, he posted stat lines of 19 points and 14 rebounds and 25 points and eight rebounds. His three-point shooting looks a lot better and he has been able effectively snag rebounds as well as crash the glass on drives to the lane.

Powell is one player to keep an eye on because he will make the roster for the Mavs this season and could end up with a bigger role.

Justin Anderson

Justin Anderson was selected 21st by the Mavericks in the draft and many people around the league began to compare him to Jae Crowder, who was traded to Boston in the Rondo trade. His defense at Virginia was elite and that’s just the thing that the Mavs were looking for.

His second Summer League game wasn’t so great since he struggled with his shooting but he was incredible in his first game. He score 23 points and added seven rebounds and his toughness was in full force as he got into the dirty areas of the paint. Though Anderson’s three-point shooting looked good, he was playing with too much of a one-dimensional style.

Mark Cuban spoke a little bit about him and went on to say that he would eventually find his game but it was just going to take time.

Satnam Singh

Satnam Singh was the Mavericks second-round draft pick and also the first Indian-born player to be drafted in the NBA. It was clear early on that he was going to be a project player for the Mavs. He will get a lot of time with the Mavs D-League associate, the Texas Legends, this next season and he should be able to work on his game there as a 7’2″ player.

He hasn’t played too much in his first few Summer League games but, as expected due to his size, he has been active in the paint by rebounding and scoring down low. There may not be too much to look at on him right now, but he remains an intriguing player for the future if he can turn into an active force in the paint.

Other Notable Players

Jordan Crawford has been all over the league since he came onto the scene in 2010-11. He has always been known as a player that likes to have the ball and likes to shoot. The Mavs picked him up to play in the summer league to see if he would be good enough to come off of the bench in Dallas.

Kevin Pangos is a Canadian basketball player who just got done playing at Gonzaga . Though he hasn’t done much early on. The Mavs have hopes that he can turn into something like he was back in his college days.

Maalik Wayns has been solid throughout the Summer League so far averaging 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and five assists per game. He hasn’t played in the NBA since 2013-14 with the Clippers but he has looked like a decent guard early on this summer.

Next: Wesley Matthews First Interview As A Maverick

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