Hoops Habit
Fansided

Dallas Mavericks: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 18, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks point guard Devin Harris (20) guards Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews (2) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 127-111. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 18, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks point guard Devin Harris (20) guards Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews (2) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 127-111. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 9
Next
Dallas Mavericks
Mar 20, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Justin Anderson (1) reacts to a play during the second half against the Belmont Bruins in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

The Draft

If you think Cuban’s reputation of punting in the draft has been overstated, consider the fact that the last player to be drafted by the Mavericks and actually have an on-court impact for the team was Josh Howard back in 2003. If you look back on the list of NBA champions over the last three decades, you’ll notice that almost all of them were led by a player originally drafted by that team.

In 2015, Cuban may have finally committed to drafting a young talent…and not immediately trading him on draft night. With the 21st overall pick, the Mavs selected Virginia’s Justin Anderson, an extremely athletic 3-and-D prospect who shot a blistering 45.2 percent from three-point range (on 4.0 attempts per game) last year for the Cavaliers.

In addition to three-point shooting, a skill the Mavs desperately need, Anderson brings tremendous defense on the wing as an instrumental part of one of the stingiest defenses college basketball had seen in quite some time.

There are some concerns about whether Anderson’s three-point touch was a fluke since he converted just 29.4 percent and 30.3 percent of his threes in his two prior seasons at Virginia, but far be it from me to question the work ethic of a player who’s put in the practice to improve and is talented enough to join a group of only 450 people on this earth good enough to play in this league.

Anderson also showed positive signs during NBA Summer League, averaging 17.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 38.5 percent from downtown. It’s just Summer League, but if Anderson’s final season at Virginia was no fluke, the Mavs added a solid, long-term 3-and-D guy.

In the second round, the Mavs selected Satnam Singh Bhamara, the NBA’s first Indian-born player, with the 52nd overall pick. This 7’2″, 290-pound behemoth probably won’t ever play for the Mavs since he’s years away from being ready to contribute, making this little more than a publicity stunt.

Bhamara may never amount to anything in the NBA, but the Anderson pick was a solid one for where Dallas was selecting late in the first round.

Grade: B-

Next: A Max For Matthews

Home/Dallas Mavericks