Getting Oliver-Maxence Prosper, a forward in his second year, up to speed is part of that as well.
Dudley, who will coach the Mavs in summer league play for the second year in a row, stated, “The goal is always to win—I don’t care what the squad is.” “We were obviously more interested last year since we lost early and had more time.
“We attended a vet camp.” Since the G League completed the vet camp, we will be arriving a little later. Finding some undiscovered talent for the G League, developing O-Max as a rotational player, and winning as many games as possible should be the objectives.
On the opening day of the Mavs’ summer league practice on Monday, rookie Melvin Ajinca was among the players that captured Dudley’s full focus. After joining the New York Knicks in a draft-day trade, Ajinca—a 6-8, 218-pound big from France—was chosen No. 51 overall in the NBA Draft on June 27. He made an immediate impression on Dudley.
MaximaxDudley stated, “I can see him doing a little bit of point forward because he’s taller than me and he can handle and make decisions better.” He can make decisions and is a 6-8 lefty. While I won’t call it exceptional, having this kind of skill set is highly desirable in the NBA.
It all comes down to how quick you pick things up, how resilient you are, and how hard you work. That is something we are unaware of. That is what we will ascertain.
The Mavs think Ajinca, who turned 20 on June 26, has a promising future as an NBA prospect.
It’s smooth, Dudley remarked. “During our drill, which pitted guards against bigs, he was finishing everyone off.” We’ll see now if having that benefits him in the long run.
On the first practice day, Dudley also noticed Emanuel Miller, a TCU local product. Miller, a 6-6, 215-pound rookie forward, shot 38.3 percent from three-point range and 48.6 percent from the field last season while averaging 15.8 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Horned Frogs.
Dudley remarked, “Miller already has an NBA body.” He appears to be a fighter in the UFC. His physique will be very important.
Jamarion Sharp, a center whose presence around the rim was similar to a very tall player on the front line of a volleyball match, was also highly important on Monday. Sharp, a 235-pound player who stood 7-5, averaged 7.4 points. In 2022–2023 Western Kentucky had 7.7 rebounds and 4.1 blocks.
Dudley stated, “Sharp probably had ten blocks today.” “He guards the paint.”Ajinca
“I anticipate him holding us down here as much as he can in that center position.”
For the fifteen players that make up the Mavs summer league roster, Dudley had a straightforward message.
The main thing he told them was that some summer league players who scored 25 points would not be able to play in the NBA the following season. Some players that average five or six points each game will do so. Remove the statistics.
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There are two stars on every team. What is your asset? Can you drive and kick? Can you keep ahead of the offensive player? Can you defend numerous positions? Can you make good enough decisions? Do you shoot things? Do you grind things? Are you a man of scraps? the minor details. And they need to locate that.
Additionally, as those players attempt to figure out how the Mavs use them, Dudley and his team will be documenting everything and reporting back to general manager Nico Harrison and coach Jason Kidd.
It’s difficult to listen to your friends and on social media, that’s what I try to convey to them in general, Dudley added. “They’re hoping for an average of 20 points.” That isn’t truly it, though.
“Last year, we had two guys who came off the bench to make (NBA) deals in the summer league. After making a game-winning dunk in three games, Braxton Key was traded to Denver.
Keys improved his resume during his summer league stint with the Mavs last year and ended up playing 20 games for the Denver Nuggets this past season.
Dudley stated, “So, it’s not about playing time.” What matters is how you use that leisure time to play and have pleasure. Winning should be the enjoyable part.
Don’t go out and party in Vegas. You people need to start businesses and obtain work. You must help children and families. You can therefore return to Vegas for them.
All in all, Dudley spent Monday essentially getting to know the guys and their abilities.
“We always do about 80 percent of what we usually do (on the first day of summer league practice) – our defense breakdowns,” Dudley stated in reference to his conversation with J-Kidd. We refer to it as “Dudley Channel 1.”
“On the first day, we stick to the fundamentals and practice trapping the box.” Maintaining distance offensively—a tactic known as an open low dribble handoff. Overall though, it’s the specifics of how we
Opening day also included getting the athletes acclimated to their new surroundings.
“We worked for approximately two hours, with some scrimmaging towards the end,” stated Dudley. “But for the next two days, it’s teaching, and on Wednesday and Thursday, things will be a little more up and down.”
The Mavs and Utah Jazz will square off in their inaugural game in Las Vegas on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. CT on the Nevada-Las Vegas campus. Every one of the 30 NBA teams that are expected in Vegas will play five or more games.
Dudley remarked, “It was a good first day.” “No matter what, that is what every coach says. There were several surprises that we may not have had the previous year.
Last year, the Mavs concluded their summer league play with a stellar 4-1 record.