Will Young Mavericks Make an Impact in 2015-16?

The Mavericks could end up leaning heavily on second year forward Dwight Powell and rookie Justin Anderson quite a bit this season, both by design and necessity.

Anderson, the 21st pick in this year’s draft out of the University of Virginia, looked like an NBA-ready player during the Las Vegas Summer League where he averaged 17.5 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 38.5% from three-point land.

Powell showed flashes of competency for the Mavericks last year, and led the Summer League team with 18.8 points and 9.2 points last month.

But are they ready for prominent roles on a veteran team contending scrambling for a playoff spot? Will they get them?

Our staff weighs in:

Justin Anderson and Dwight Powell had strong showings in Las Vegas. What kind of impact do you expect from the two youngsters when the real games get underway?

Andrew Tobolowsky: I expect Justin Anderson to be a pretty good player in the league. The only reason he went so low in the draft was that it was the first year he shot well from three. He’s really good at everything else, including defense, which is kind of a new thing for the Mavs.

And then, unlike some Dwight Powells I could name, he actually shot very well in Summer League too, including 38.5% from beyond the arc. He’s coming into a good situation. While expectations are always high when Dirk Nowitzki is in uniform, injuries to Parsons and Matthews both mean that Anderson should have a lot of burn and that he’s not exactly going to cost the Mavs another chance for a championship.

I expect nothing from Powell. I think Powell is one of those guys who everyone thinks will be something ’cause he’s missing just a few things that seem to be teachable. I don’t understand the confidence that he’s going to start shooting well and without it he is actually worthless–it’s not like he can bang or guard other big guys.

Charles Herbert: They could each potentially be a valuable rotation player. They both showed a good amount of promise on the offensive end at Summer League this year, exhibiting a lot of confidence in the three point shot and more off the bounce dynamism than I thought either of them had.

For Powell, a consistent threat from behind the arc would allow Carlisle to slot him in as Dirk’s backup and keep that floor stretching ability at the 4. Three point shooting will also be crucial for Anderson, who will be playing off the ball and must be ready to make teams pay for playing off of him.

The question for Powell is his ability to guard bigger stronger players in the post and keep them off the boards. Anderson will just have to work hard to carve out any kind of consistent minutes, but his versatility in guarding both wing positions should help.

Aaron Clements: Anderson flashed a lot of potential during the summer league. The kid is fearless–he’ll drive a full lane, contest a dunk, and drain a three in a defender’s eye. I think he’ll draw many comparisons to Danny Green this year. Like Anderson, rookie Danny Green couldn’t put the ball on the floor too well, but he was exceptional at two things: perimeter defense and draining threes. Since then, he has developed an ability to create his own shot, and has transformed himself into one of the league’s premier 3-and-D players.

Anderson will learn a lot from Wes Matthews, and he should receive a decent amount of playing time this season.

Dwight Powell impressed many summer league viewers with his newly developed ability to shoot the three-ball. Unfortunately, he could use a bit of practice making the three-ball, but he’s definitely not afraid to shoot it.

Powell seems to have put on some muscle this offseason, grabbing boards with authority and playing more physically in the paint on both ends of the floor. I think Powell will play a decent amount of time this season, but if he’s ever going to develop into a true stretch four, he’s going to have to start sinking more jumpers.

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