Dallas Mavericks: 5 takeaways from 2017 NBA Summer League

4. Johnathan Motley should flourish as a two-way player

The Dallas Mavericks are a thin team on the interior. Outside of Dirk Nowitzki, they don’t have a whole lot of big men to rely on. All that could change if Baylor Bears big man Johnathan Motley continues to develop.

Motley was a member of a Baylor program that earned its first ever No. 1 ranking in program history last season. He averaged 17.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game as a junior before declaring for the 2017 NBA Draft. Following his junior season, he was given the Karl Malone Award, given to the best power forward in the NCAA.

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He went undrafted but was still pursued by the Mavericks, who signed him to their Summer League squad. In Orlando, he averaged 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game but shot just 39.3 percent from the field.

While he didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, he did make a game-winning shot against the Detroit Pistons to win the Orlando Summer League title. Motley had 18 points to finish the game.

In Las Vegas, he averaged 7.7 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting the ball 58.8 percent from the floor. His rebounding may have gone down, but his efficiency went up, which is a good sign.

Motley will be a player to watch going into the 2017-18 season. He’s got versatility for a 6’10” big man and can stretch the floor with his range.