This will be a memorable 10 days for Jameel Warney.
Not only did the 24-year-old make his NBA debut last night for the Mavericks, scoring five points and grabbing four boards in eight minutes, but as part of his 10-day call-up, Warney will get to make two trips to New York City for games against the Knicks on Tuesday and Nets on Saturday. That’s a homecoming for the New Brunswick, N.J. native. He gets to spend his first week in the NBA with his loved ones.
“If you’re one of my true friends,” Warney joked, “you’ll probably go to both of them.”
Warney’s a true character, which you can quickly tell if you follow him on Twitter. His sense of humor is almost too much to fit in his 6-foot-7 body — “6-8 on a good day,” he cracked — but it’s clear he means business at this level, now that he’s finally reached the NBA. He said he spent all day yesterday at the arena getting ready for the 6 p.m. tipoff.
“It’s kind of hard to leave, because it’s like a dream right now,” he said. “I’m trying to take every day for what it’s worth and try to hopefully get another 10-day.”
If Warney can come close to matching his production with the Texas Legends in the G League, with whom he averaged 20.1 points and 9.6 rebounds this season before earning the call-up, then he’s got a chance to stick around. He’s not afraid to mix it up on the inside for rebounds, as evidenced by his three offensive boards Sunday night against the Rockets. But the three-time America East Player of the Year has serious skill, too: He took home MVP honors after leading Team USA to a gold medal finish at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup and was named the 2017 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.
Warney understands that as a relatively undersized big man from a mid-major school like Stony Brook, it wouldn’t be the easiest process to reach the NBA. Regardless, he put in the work during his two seasons with the Legends and head coach Bob MacKinnon, who’s had more players called up to the NBA than any other coach in G League history. Warney believed his work would pay off.
“I knew I had the confidence that I could get to this spot,” he said. “It just doesn’t matter when. I knew the Texas Legends opportunity was great because Bob MacKinnon just helps everybody improve. He has the most NBA call-ups, so he’s doing something right.”
Warney joins best buddy and former Legends teammate Kyle Collinsworth with the Mavs, and it’s also likely that he’ll be spending his entire 10-day deal with Johnathan Motley as well. Together, those two have dominated the G League this season, playing a fast-paced ground-and-pound style to lead Texas to a 25-20 record and likely the club’s first-ever winning season. What’s more, the Legends run virtually the same playbook as the Mavericks thanks in part to close cooperation between MacKinnon and Rick Carlisle… well, with one exception.
“We run everything the Mavs run, but maybe 10 times faster,” Warney joked. “The Bob MacKinnon style is to just run, run, run.
“I’m kind of familiar with the plays, but I also have Mot and Kyle to help me out if I need the help, which is the good part. This is my first-ever 10-day, so it’s great to have one of my best friends here in Kyle to help me out, and one of my teammates in Mot.”
It took nearly two full seasons of gobbling up double-doubles in the G League and at Summer League (he was on the Mavs’ title-winning team in Orlando last summer and played with them in Vegas in 2016, too), but Warney has finally earned a shot in the big leagues. As is the case with any player who makes it to the NBA, phase one of achieving his dream is complete. Now it’s time to prove he’s got what it takes to stick around, and he took a step in the right direction in his debut.
“Warney’s a winner,” Carlisle said after the Rockets game. “The guy goes in the game and just immediately is in the right place every time. He got the ball in the basket, kept a couple balls alive. He’s a very underrated player.”
He’s off to a good start. Now, as the Mavs head out east for the weekend, Warney will have a chance to show he belongs — playing with a couple familiar faces; for an organization who believes in him despite his size, age, or anything else; in his hometown; in front of his family and friends. That’s a dream indeed.
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