There is still ample amounts of talent available heading into night two, with many teams looking to make a deal
The Dallas Mavericks succeeded in making the layup they were awarded. Cooper Flagg has successfully been drafted by the organization, marking the first time the Mavericks have selected first since Mark Aguirre. By any measure, Wednesday night was a successful one for the team. The work, however, is only just beginning.
The Mavs have a ginormous hole on their roster in the play making department. The organization missed several chances to trade back into the first round to select some quality guards. And because the lovely Caleb Martin trade, the Mavericks no longer hold pick 35, as it was traded back to the Philadelphia 76ers along with Quentin Grimes.
Teams are able to buy second rounds picks fairly easily, so chances are the Mavericks won’t be done selecting players just yet. So, if they do decide to get back into the draft, or even into the undrafted free agency market, who could they be after? Here’s who I would target.
Kam Jones
Guard, Marquette
Kam has been on my radar since last year when he considered jumping into the 2024 NBA Draft. The stats will tell you he had somewhat of a down year this season. I’d just encourage you to watch the games he played in. Marquette had no business being any good at all this year. I love Shaka Smart just as much as the next guy, but his refusal to use the transfer portal hamstrung the team. Because of that, Kam took on a load that was always going to push him out of his comfort zone. For what it’s worth, he did really well, given the circumstances! Jones doubled his assist production this year to nearly six per contest, while living at under two turnovers per game. Kam is a tough kid that you will never have to worry about in big moments. He’s my best fit available for the Mavericks heading into day two.
Javon Small
Guard, West Virginia
Small was a bit of a world traveler in college, hitting three schools in his four years of duty. However, he grew a lot during that time. In his junior year at Oklahoma State, Small was more of a scorer, and shot 37% from deep that season. While his percentages dipped a bit in 2024-25, to 42% from the floor and 35% from deep, Small developed his floor game nicely. The 5.6 assists he averaged this past season were easily a career high, and he was better than 2:1 in the assist to turnover ratio. He’s another older guy, but I think he’s worth a strong look here in the second round.
Ryan Nembhard
Guard, Gonzaga
Ryan is the brother of Andrew, who you just saw guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for 7 games. Ryan doesn’t quite have that size at just 5’11”, but he has the same tenacity and an even better floor game. The younger Nembhard spent time at Montverde Academy, where he teamed up with Cooper Flagg. In college, he attended Creighton before transferring to Gonzaga prior to the 2023-24 season. At Gonzaga, Ryan averaged nearly ten dimes per game on a team that was not anywhere near a vintage Zags group. Nembhard could go anywhere from the early 40’s all the way towards being a UDFA. It’d be smart to not fight for him in the open market and use a pick on him, but we shall see.
The Tyrese Proctor Dilemma
Guard, Duke
Tyrese Proctor was supposed to be another “one and done” freshman at Duke. He’s been there for three full seasons. There are reasons for that. To his credit, Proctor absolutely did get better this year. Yes, he did shoot the three-ball much better this year at 40%. Yes, Tyrese is a big guard that does guard dudes defensively. But it’s no coincidence that Duke’s best year with Tyrese Proctor came when they took the ball out of his hands and put it into Cooper Flagg’s.
If you believe Proctor is going to be a productive NBA player, you very simply believe in his shot. Tyrese shot 40% from deep on basically five attempts per game this year. From the ACC Title game until Duke’s run ended in the Final Four, Proctor was unconscious from deep, going 22/43 (51.2%). However, the rest of his college career was wildly underwhelming at just 33%. Beyond that, it’s concerning that Proctor shot a career worst 68% on the free throw line this season, after being 88% as a freshman on nearly identical attempts. What gives there?
Listen, I hate to rain on everyone’s “REUNITE THE DUKE BASKETBALL PROGRAM” plans here. I just don’t think the Mavericks are a good situation for a guy who struggled mightily when he was overexposed in his role. Without Kyrie Irving, Proctor could be relied on to play big minutes right away, and given where he thrives as a player, that just wouldn’t be putting him in position to succeed.