LAS VEGAS – If the Mavericks want to zero in on a great candidate for one of their two-way contracts, A.J. Lawson is making a terrific case for himself.
Through two games at the NBA Summer League, it’s hard to ignore him.
Lawson followed up his 28-point showing in the summer opener with a 15-point, 12-rebound, 2-block outing Monday night against Utah’s summer squad.
The effort and activity Lawson showed were outstanding. But the results, for the second game in a row, frustrating.
With the Jazz’s 7-6 Tacko Fall grabbing a late offensive rebound, his 15th of the game, Utah held on for an 83- victory at Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus. It was the second heartbreaker of the summer league as the Mavericks lost their opener 100-99 to Chicago.
Despite the close losses, Lawson has been one of the brightest spots so far. After growing up near Toronto and attending South Carolina for three seasons before going undrafted in 2021, he spent last season in the G League and now hopes to continue a strong trend of Canadians funneling into the NBA. The Mavericks have gotten good mileage out of one Canadian in Dwight Powell. Could another be in their future?
“It’s almost like a brotherhood, the guys who paved the way, the older guys who are Canadian, they always look out for the young guys,” Lawson said. “We have so much talent in Canada. All the Canadians feel like they have something to prove. We have a chip on our shoulder. That’s why we play so hard.
“I’m not sure when it exactly boomed. We’ve always had talent. But recently, you’re seeing more guys going to the states for prep school, Division I and more are in the NBA now. We just got to keep that pipeline going.”
Lawson’s summer-league showings have drawn rave reviews from the Mavericks’ summer coaches.
George Galanopoulos, who is the Texas Legends head coach in the G League, guided the Mavericks on Monday night after one of Jason Kidd’s assistants, Greg St. Jean, coached the Friday opener in Las Vegas.
“He’s been great, such a steady presence,” Galanopoulos said. “The points, the rebounds, that reflects the activity we see. He’s just been solid and consistent. And he plays so hard, but he’s under control, which is hard to find. He’s a lot of fun to have around.”
Said St. Jean after Lawson’s 28-point outburst in the opener: “We had A.J. in for a draft workout last year, and he performed very well in that. We followed his first year. He came in for our free-agent camp, played phenomenal.
“He’s gotten better every time I’ve seen him. He’s improved his shooting. But I think, like anybody, if you get a little repetition at the NBA level or even the G-League level, the game slows down for you.”
Because of his steady improvement, the Mavericks brought Lawson into their summer camp, thinking he could be an invitee back for training camp in September.
He has not disappointed. The slender, 6-6 Lawson had the defensive play of the game when he didn’t give up on a Utah fast break and wound up swatting the attempted layup with authority, drawing an ovation from his teammates on the Mavericks’ bench..
“That’s just me being me,” Lawson said. “I love defense and feel like I can help on the weak side and blocked shots.”
And rebounding like he did is always a good way to get noticed in summer league. And his performances have put him on the radar for the Mavericks’ fall training camp. And, no doubt, other teams are noticing, too.
Size still matters: The Jazz brought in 7-6 Tacko Fall for their summer camp.
He’s the largest player in the NBA, assuming he makes it back to the league after playing parts of the last three seasons with Boston and Cleveland.
And he showed why being big still is a huge asset for an NBA player on Monday.
Mavericks’ rookie Jaden Hardy found out just how large of a human Fall is in the first half when he tried to drive the lane and got flattened by Fall, who rejected his would-be layup.
Hardy wasn’t alone as Fall had three blocked shots. He also had 12 offensive rebounds, including the one with just under a second left that sealed the Jazz’s one-point victory.
“Size does matter, for sure,” said Galanopoulos. “It’s a problem. You have to account for it and change a little bit what you do when somebody like that is in the game. He was somewhat of a game changer, a lot of offensive rebounds, but it was a great experience for these guys.”
The Mavericks were down by double digits midway through the fourth quarter before rallying.
Hardy’s 3-pointer on what would be the Mavericks’ final possession drew them within 80-79. But Fall gathered in a missed 3-pointer and, while the Mavericks nearly forced a turnover on the following inbounds play, they could not get a chance for a game-winner.
“It could have gone one of two ways when we were down by 10 with four minutes left,” Galanopoulos said. “I’m proud of the way they battled back.”
As for the close losses, he added: “Either me and Greg St. Jean are cursed or we’re blessed with good teaching moments.”
Galanopoulos, by the way, said his first shot at being the head coach in a summer league game was a long-awaited experience. And it was a good chance to bond with a lot of players who may end up spending time with the Legends this season.
“It was cool. I’ve been coming to summer league since my first year out of college, just looking for a job hoping that one day I could coach in summer league,” he said. “And for it to be here, personally, is a really cool experience. But it’s so much more than that. It’s making sure you have an impact on these guys and their profession, because they might end up playing for you or if they don’t, hopefully you help them have a positive experience to take wherever they go. We just hope to put them in better position to get better and move onward and upward.
Star-gazing: The Mavericks were well-represented with centers Christian Wood and JaVale McGee sitting alongside Spencer Dinwiddie in courtside seats.
Owner Mark Cuban was on the baseline seated near Jason Terry, the head coach of the G League Grand Rapids team (Denver’s affiliate).
Also on hand was Mavericks’ radio voice Chuck Cooperstein.
Twitter: @ESefko
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