The Mavericks have revealed their 2016 Orlando Summer League roster.
The team will be coached by new Texas Legends head coach Bob MacKinnon, and the club has already arrived in Orlando. The team will practice through Friday before league action kicks off on Saturday morning.
The Mavs’ Orlando schedule is as follows, with the roster listed below:
Sat. July 2 vs. OKC, 8 a.m. CT, TXA 21 and NBA TV
Mon. July 4 vs. Orlando (White), 12 p.m. CT, TXA 21 and NBA TV
Wed. July 6 vs. Charlotte, 2 p.m. CT, NBA TV
Thurs. July 7 vs. Orlando (Blue), 12 p.m. CT, NBA TV
Fri. July 8 vs. TBD (Championship Day), NBA TV
| Player | Position | Height | Weight | College/Country | D.O.B. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darius Adams | G | 6-1 | 165 | Indianapolis/USA | 4/17/89 |
| Brandon Ashley | F | 6-9 | 230 | Arizona/USA | 7/15/94 |
| Vander Blue | G | 6-4 | 200 | Marquette/USA | 7/17/92 |
| Laimonas Chatkevicius | C | 6-11 | 245 | South Carolina/Lithuania | 1/7/93 |
| Jaleel Cousins | C | 6-11 | 255 | South Florida/USA | 12/1/93 |
| Andre Dawkins | G | 6-4 | 206 | Duke/USA | 9/19/91 |
| Tyler Honeycutt | F | 6-8 | 190 | UCLA/USA | 7/15/90 |
| Cory Jefferson | F | 6-9 | 218 | Baylor/USA | 12/26/90 |
| Stevan Jelovac | F | 6-10 | 245 | Zaragoza/Serbia | 7/8/89 |
| Giovan Oniangue | F | 6-6 | 222 | Paris Levallois/Rep. of Congo | 4/22/91 |
| Casey Prather | G/F | 6-6 | 208 | Florida/USA | 5/29/91 |
| Satnam Singh | C | 7-2 | 290 | IMG Academy (FL)/India | 12/10/95 |
| Marquis Teague | G | 6-2 | 180 | Kentucky/USA | 2/28/93 |
The roster is loaded with players with experience both at big-time programs at the D-I level and also in the D-League, meaning it should be a coachable, competitive group for MacKinnon in his Dallas debut.
A McDonald’s All-American and three-year player at Arizona, Ashley caught the Mavs’ eye last season with his play in the Las Vegas Summer League. He eventually agreed to join Dallas for the preseason before ultimately being waived and playing the 2015-16 season with the Texas Legends in the D-League.
Ashley earned a trip to the D-League All-Star Game (along with his Orlando teammate Vander Blue) by averaging 14.8 points and 6.8 rebounds, along with shooting 39.3 percent on 3.6 3-pointers per game. He finished the season with Alba Berlin in Germany, averaging 8.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in 14 games. His future is as a stretch-power forward, which is why his progress from the 3-point line last season was such a positive for his career. Look for him to continue stretching his range with the Mavs in Orlando.
After playing at Texas’ Navarro College, Cousins transferred to and played two years at South Florida before opting to turn pro. In 2015-16, he averaged 8.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game for the Bulls, leading the AAC in block percentage.
If his last name looks familiar, that’s because it is. Jaleel is the little brother of Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. Jaleel is still only 22 years old, so he has plenty of time to continue developing into an NBA-level talent. If he can demonstrate that he has the ability, an NBA team will have no problem extending an invitation to training camp.
One of the most experienced players on the roster, Jefferson played for four years at Baylor and played high school ball in Killeen before being drafted by San Antonio in 2014 and ultimately winding up with the Brooklyn Nets. Jefferson stood out last season in the D-League, averaging 17.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game for the Bakersfield Jam.
The combo forward has a 7-foot wingspan and 37.5-inch vertical leap, meaning he certainly has the length and athleticism required to compete in the NBA. But, like Ashley, Jefferson must prove he’s got the shooting ability to stick in the Association. For what it’s worth, he did improve his 3-point shooting to a robust 40 percent last season with Bakersfield, on 2.4 attempts per game.
The Mavs’ 2015 second-round draft pick appeared in 19 games for the Legends last season. Mavericks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Nelson has said from the beginning that Singh is a long-term project kind of player, as he has yet to turn 21 years old. For a player his size, he’s still quite young.
Singh has a soft shooting touch and he has the size to battle the biggest basketball players in the world, but the Mavs and Legends have spent the last year working on his agility and quickness. We’ll see how far he’s come once the action begins in Florida.
Teague is another player on this roster with a wealth of experience, beginning with his one-year stay at Kentucky during the 2011-12 season, where he was the starting point guard for the national champions, heading up an offense featuring New Orleans’ Anthony Davis.
Teague was then drafted by the Chicago Bulls, where he played for one season before moving to the Brooklyn Nets via trade. He’s spent the last two seasons playing for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s D-League affiliate; last season he averaged 15.7 points and 5.9 assists per game with 41.4/38.9 shooting splits. Like Jaleel Cousins, Teague’s older brother, Jeff, is also a star in the NBA. At the helm of this Mavericks offense, though, Marquis will have the opportunity to put up the types of numbers that could make NBA teams come calling this fall.
All box scores, game recaps, and cumulative stats can be found on OrlandoMagic.com. Click here to see the full schedule.
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