Q&A: Richard Jefferson Offers Plenty To Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks have had a busy offseason. Bringing in Tyson Chandler and Chandler Parsons are the highlight of the offseason, but could Richard Jefferson also be a great pickup for the Mavs?

Jefferson spent last season with the Utah Jazz, averaging 10.1 points and shooting 40.9% from three. He holds career averages of 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 37.6% shooting from behind the arc.

Clint Peterson of PurpleAndBlues.com answers some questions on what Jefferson can bring to the Mavericks.

Clint is a practiced purveyor of basketball tales for such stalwarts as ESPN’s TrueHoop Network, the Utah Jazz and many independent establishments, currently contributing at PurpleAndBlues.com. Twitter troublemaker at @Clintonite33, accredited illustrator, attentive single father and frequent accidental celebrity stalker.

Richard Jefferson spent last season with the Jazz, how would you evaluate the season he had?

Much better than the general perception I observed from some Jazz bloggers and most national writers, who always seemed surprised when RJ would pop up on the highlights with a throw down from years of yore. And it wasn’t just a couple of ’em in the open court. He netted enough impressive high-flying dunks to make a SEVEN MINUTE HIGHLIGHT REEL for 2013-14.

Add to that Jefferson was the only Utah Jazz player to play all 82 games and was in the top 10 of three point percentage all season long, finishing at 41%, and the player affectionately dubbed Dickey J showed he still has plenty of gas left in the tank.

What will he bring to the Mavs?

Great, great interviews. You’ll love listening to RJ in postgame and on local sports talk. He really knows and understands his situation and his role within it, as well as his teammates and coaches. He’ll quickly learn what Rick Carlisle is trying to do and help others around him understand what the goals and accomplishments are. He has an excellent understanding of schemes and won’t gum up an offense by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Mavs recently lost Vince Carter to the Memphis Grizzlies. Do you see Jefferson being able to fill in as that scorer/playmaker off the bench that is now vacant?

Bruce Harris, Devin’s brother, is a pal of mine from back in Devin’s Utah Jazz days. We chat via text and phone often. When the Mavs made the Jefferson pickup I immediately texted Bruce to congratulate him. In the course of conversation Bruce and I reached the conclusion that RJ is an upgrade from Vince. Both fill the same role for Dallas, only Jefferson is doing it at a higher level with a higher IQ than Vince at this point.

I recommend following Bruce on Twitter at @starkadidas. Good dude who helps with players’ charity events and always has a hot take that will leave you chuckling.

With the additions of Tyson Chandler, Chandler Parsons, Raymond Felton, Rashard Lewis, Greg Smith, along with Jefferson, where do you rank the Mavs in the West?

I like how active Mark Cuban and Co. have been in the offseason. With a possible addition of Jason Terry too, this Dallas team isn’t worse than last year, in my opinion. They may be old, but there’s enough pieces that can fill in in various roles to create a nice balance that will be problematic for anyone in any game. The Mavs should compete for the West playoffs again, if not home court in the first round.

Editor’s Note: Again, make sure to follow Clint (@Clintonite33) on Twitter. He’s a MUST follow.