LAS VEGAS – Jordan Walker, the Mavericks tiny guard with the big game, seemed to take offense with the question.
After throwing in 13-of-27 three-pointers in four games at the NBA 2K24 Summer League, Walker was asked if he always shoots the ball that well.
The 5-11 rookie wondered if the questioner had done his homework.
“Go watch my UAB highlights,” he said. “I’ve done it for two years straight now. So that’s what I do. I can shoot the ball really well. Obviously every night, you’re not going to make shots. But for the most part, I can shoot the basketball.”
He certainly doesn’t lack confidence.
Nor is he exaggerating.
Jared Dudley coached the Mavericks’ summer squad and he verified that the kid they call “Jelly” indeed has a terrific shooting eye.
“Predraft camp he had the highest Mavs 100,” Dudley said after the Mavericks finished their summer league with a 4-1 record, thanks in big part to Walker, who averaged 13 points and 3.5 assists in just 15.7 minutes per game.
“I think out of 100 (three-point) shots, he made 84 or 85 at the predraft camp. That’s one of the reasons he’s here. His shooting is the No. 1 thing. (Owner Mark) Cuban loves him for that.”
And his showing at summer league was enough to earn Walker an Exhibit 10 contract, meaning he will be in training camp with the team in September.
And it will give Walker a chance to expand on what has been a diverse basketball career that began with him coming off the bench in high school before growing into a pro-level talent while at UAB.
“When I was younger, I never was the guy,” Walker said. “I never started on a team until my senior year in high school. So I understand how to play a role. I know what it takes to win.
“Whether you don’t play, whether you’re a water boy, whether you’re a manager, a coach, a player on the court, the star of the team, the head coach – it all plays a part into winning. I understand that. Whatever my role is to winning, that’s what I’m going to do. So whether I got to sit on the bench and be the loudest cheerleader, I’ll do that. If I got to play 30 minutes and got to take all the shots, I’ll do that.”
And people would be unwise to doubt the abilities of Walker based on his stature. He’s been watching tapes of J.J. Barea and recently quoted Fred Van Vleet’s podcast as proof that undersized guards have a place in the NBA.
“Jelly, he’s a born scorer,” said O-Max Prosper. “We call those guys hoopers. He finds a way to get buckets. For him to come in and do what he did, it’s pretty cool to see.”
Not that Walker is a finished product. Far from it.
Dudley said the Mavericks are stressing two areas to Walker, who saw his playing time in Vegas go up in the final three games after another small guard, McKinley Wright IV, injured his ankle.
“If he’s serious about it, you got to listen to the Van Vleet podcast,” Dudley said. “Any (under) 6-foot guard has to pick up full court, has to be tough and be able to be scrappy and be a pest defensively. And has to shoot the three.
“He can shoot the three. He’s not a pest defensively. So he has to work on his lateral (movement). Kyle Lowry (is a) charge taker, Van Vleet (has) quick hands. He (Walker) has the offense. But defensively, if he can just work on that, which is tough, he can play in this league.”
Looking to the future: Prosper is coming into the league as a 21-year-old with terrific upside.
And he’s not the only one in his family playing big on the basketball stage. His sister, Cassandre, plays for Notre Dame and is on Canada’s under-19 national team.
O-Max hopes that international play is in his future, too.
“Representing my country is something I’d love to do,” he said. “And representing in the Olympics is something I’d like to do in my career. But that roster is stacked right now.”
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, Dwight Powell and a slew of other NBA players wearing the Maple Leaf, the Canadians are a solid medal contender at the World Cup starting in August.
Twitter: @ESefko
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