Dallas Mavericks: Much Needed Urgency For The 2017 NBA Draft

It’s been a while since the Dallas Mavericks have missed the postseason. It’s also been a while since they’ve hit on a draft pick.

The Dallas Mavericks have only missed the playoffs twice in the last 17 years, including this past season. On the bright side, they’ll have a legitimate chance to pick a solid player at pick No. 9, which is where they’re currently slated heading into the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery.

That’s if they finally decide to give the draft some real thought.

Just to serve as a quick reminder, here’s an illustration of their draft picks the last 17 seasons:

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/17/2017.

The draft hasn’t looked pretty for them with the exception of Josh Howard in 2003. His career in Dallas wasn’t great, but it was solid and he was a key contributor to their 2006 NBA Finals run. Plus, him and Marquis Daniels were always a lot of fun to watch.

Outside of that, there hasn’t been much draft success for the Mavericks front office. Their draft history is embarrassing and they know they need to make the right decision when it comes to their first round pick.

This year’s draft class has the potential to produce franchise-changing players for any team picking in the lottery.

One player that I’m hoping will drop to the Mavs at No. 9 is small forward Jonathan Isaac. With his long 6’11” frame, he could potentially develop into a solid stretch-4. Who better to learn from than the original himself?

Isaac told reporters in a 2016 Nike Hoop Summit interview that he hit a major growth spurt during high school where he went from a 6’3″ point guard to a 6’10” forward. His ability to handle the ball at that height is something teams would love to develop.

In spite of his long frame, he’ll need to add muscle in order to compete at the next level. He has the ability to get to the rim, but stronger players will make it difficult for him to finish around the basket.

At age 19, he has enough time to put on healthy weight while developing his overall game.

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At Florida State, Isaac also shot 51 percent from the floor on eight field goal attempts per game. Dallas likes to spread the floor in Rick Carlisle’s offense and they like it when their big guys can shoot.

With defenses having to play further out from the rim, the opportunity for easy layups now suddenly becomes available.

Isaac could easily go early in this draft, so Dallas may not even come close to picking him. But if he does end up falling to them, it’ll be up to the coaching and training staff to develop him. He’s a strong prospect that Mavs fans can get behind.

Hopefully they didn’t hurt themselves by winning their last regular season game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Because of that win and the Sacramento Kings losing their final game, they’ll most likely have the ninth pick.

Next: 2017 NBA Playoffs Roundup, Day 5

Either way, the Mavericks front office needs to get this one right.