2020 NBA Draft
Entering the draft, the Dallas Mavericks had a first-round pick (No. 18) and a second-round pick (No. 31) that they intended on keeping and using. In the first round, the Mavs selected Josh Green from Arizona. Green’s game mainly consists of being a corner threat and a guy who can thrive in pick-and-roll sets.
He is a very athletic and taller guard who plays excellent defensive and is what every team looks for in a “3-and-D” player. His quick feet and reflexes make him a great perimeter defender who is great defending offensive players who tend to play one-on-one. On-the-ball, Green has the makings of being an elite NBA defender, but off-the-ball is where he needs to improve. At Arizona, he would sometimes lose his man on ball-screens and switches, leading to open shots for his opponents.
Offensively, Green averaged 12.0 points per game while shooting 36.1% from three-point range in 30 games with the Wildcats. The best part of his offensive game is his ability to attack off of screens, particularly in pick-and-roll situations. He is not the best ball-handler nor a great passer, but has the athleticism to be able to turn the corner on slower defenders and get to the paint with ease. He should fit in nicely in the Mavericks system with Kristaps Porzingis and Maxi Kleber as two guys who play off the pick-and-roll a lot.
In the second-round, the Mavericks drafted Tyrell Terry from Stanford 31st overall and then acquired the draft rights to Tyler Bey from Colorado at pick #36. Passing and shooting is what the Mavs intend to get from Terry as he shot over 40.8% from deep last year with Stanford.
The biggest question marks surrounding him at the NBA level is his size, as he only stands about 6’1”, and his strength. There are no questions about Terry’s offensive abilities with or without the ball, but his smaller stature could prove to be worrisome in a league that guard size is increasing every year.
Tyler Bey signed a two-way contract with the Mavericks after being drafted and will likely see time on the court as well. The 6’7” wing from Colorado is not an elite level scorer and needs to improve his jump-shot, but defensively, Tyler Bey is excellent. He possesses a high-level of awareness and is very quick to cut off his opponents trying to drive on him. His versatility and ability to guard numerous positions on the court make Bey intriguing and uses his athleticism to his advantage one-on-one.
The Mavericks put together a pretty decent draft class that is underrated. All three players definitely have room for growth, but help address the main areas that Dallas needs to improve on from a season ago. None of these three rookies will come in and make an impact like Luka did his rookie season in the NBA, but with time, could develop into key role players for the Mavs.
