Remember those nervous days back in school when you were never really sure how you did when you finished a big test?
And then, on that rare occasion, you’d finish the exam and say to yourself: I aced that thing (not a feeling sportswriters are familiar with, by the way).
That’s kind of how the Mavericks felt after Thursday night’s epic draft.
“We’re really excited,” executive vice president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison said. “We feel like we killed the draft.”
When’s the last time they felt like that?
The Mavericks turned nothing into something with an extra first-round draft pick and selected two players that virtually everybody is applauding as solid choices that can help the team, perhaps sooner than later, because of their defensive tenacity.
In Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper, the Mavericks got bigger, younger and possibly have a pair of solid building blocks to pair with players like Jaden Hardy, Josh Green and, of course, Luka Dončić.
How fast it all comes together is something that time will tell. But the Mavericks were universally acknowledged as having made the most of their limited draft assets.
“If you’re a true Mavericks’ fan or even as a player for the Mavs, you understand what we needed to be a better team, whether that was players with more of a defensive mindset or current players getting better defensively,” said Michael Finley, Harrison’s right-hand man.
“We understood that, in order to improve on last year, it was something we had to address. And with the draft, I think we addressed it with these two guys.”
Even better news followed the draft.
After taking stock of the deals that won’t be official until July when the new season of contracts kicks in, Harrison was clear that that Mavericks won’t be sitting around in free agency, which begins in a week.
“I can’t allow myself to take a deep breath or pat ourselves on the back. It’s go time,” he said. “We’re not done at all. This is just the beginning. We’re going to continue to address all our needs.”
Hey, when you ace the test, you might as well go for extra credit, too.
As Harrison said, the first deal on Thursday – falling back two spots while extracting more assets from Oklahoma City – had a direct impact on being able to make the second deal happen.
But no matter the inner workings, the bottom line is that the Mavericks made a nice splash on draft day and gave their fans a reason for optimism to ease the memory of last season.
Lively was the No. 1 high school player in America in the class of 2022, according to ESPN. At 7-1 and since he won’t turn 20 until Feb. 12, Lively has the youth and size that no other Maverick possesses.
And while he’s a Philadelphia product (his Westtown High School also produced Mo Bamba and Cam Reddish), Lively is looking forward to life in Dallas. He will bring his mom to town with him, he said.
“I feel like I can definitely see myself having a great time in Dallas and being a great fit,” he said. “I was on the phone with (Mark Cuban) and he was saying ‘we’re just excited to have you and excited to start.’
“That’s exactly the same feeling I’m feeling.”
As for his modest numbers at Duke in his freshman season (5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks), Lively said not to read too much into that.
“That’s definitely something that’s able to grow,” he said. “Just because I wasn’t able to excel at or show as much as I wanted to, that doesn’t mean I never had it (scoring and rebounding). I’m just excited to hit the ground running and show everybody what I can do.”
With Prosper, or O-Max as he is called, the Mavericks are getting a 6-8 forward who has good athleticism and defensive instincts.
He’s also somebody who should be able to benefit at the offensive end by teaming up with Luka.
“It’s amazing. It truly is,” O-Max said of getting to play with Luka. “He’s such a great player, one of the the best players in the world. He knows how to do it all. Playing alongside a guy like that, I’m super-excited. And I can learn so much from him.”
And while Prosper flew under the radar leading up to the draft, the Mavericks had zeroed in on him months ago, when Harrison saw him at the Big East tournament.
Finley gave a glowing assessment of Prosper’s talents.
“We’re getting a young player who could definitely help us on the defensive side, a defensive wing who is long, athletic. And he’s a hard-working young man,” Finley said. “And he’s a great kid. You’ll see that he’s a very polite young man, raised by two great parents. And he’s going to be a guy who comes in here and wants to work hard and get better. And we’re looking forward to having him.”
And it wasn’t just his physical attributes that got the Mavericks’ attention.
“We had a chance to see him work out in California and then he worked out again here,” Finley said. “We had a chance to talk to him before and after his workouts. And the first thing he talked about was defense. Defense was his calling card, the thing he wants to hang his hat on. He understands that’s what’s going to get him an opportunity to play at the next level and ultimately with us.
“To get a defensive-minded wing with athletic ability – something we were lacking in our previous roster – so hopefully he can help fill a void there.”
Neither of the new Mavericks is known as a three-point specialist. But it was noted that both had good shooting rounds during their workouts for the Mavericks.
So while neither will be counted on for perimeter production early in their careers, the potential for that is out there.
It’s all part of the building process. And the Mavericks believe they have fast-tracked that process with their 2023 draft.
Twitter: @ESefko
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