On July 1st, the 2017 Mountain Dew Orlando Summer League will kick off at the Amway Center. Going into their second year in the league, the Mavericks have announced their roster for this year’s games.
Before we get into the roster, here is a quick breakdown of the Mavericks’ schedule in the Orlando Summer League.
First, the Mavericks play the New York Knicks on Saturday, July 1st, at 2:00 pm CT. Much like the other games on the schedule, NBA TV, as well as TXA 21, will broadcast the game.
Next, Dallas goes up against the Orlando Magic in another 2:00 PM CT game on Monday, July 3rd.
Following that game, the Mavericks have an Independence Day special against the Indiana Pacers on July 4th. Once again, NBA TV will broadcast the game at 2:00 PM CT.
After the Fourth of July festivities, Dallas has a 12:00 PM CT game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, July 5th.
Finally, the Mavericks will have a game on “Championship Day” on NBA TV. This game is scheduled to help determine the final standings in the Orlando Summer League.
Now, let’s dig into the roster. This year, the Mavericks assembled a squad of young faces that will be both familiar and unfamiliar to MFFLs.
First, the Mavericks will be giving Ding Yanyuhang a shot for an NBA or G-League contract. Yanyuhang, a 6-7 small forward from China, has actually been putting up very impressive numbers for his Chinese team. In the 2016-2017 season, Ding averaged 24.23 points per game, along with 1.54 steals per game.
Next, we have a familiar face in Brandon Ashley. Ashley, a forward out of Arizona, actually signed a multi-year contract with Mavericks back in July of 2015. Unfortunately, Ashley was never able to put up numbers for Dallas. But, he did average 10.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game during his time at Arizona.
After Ashley, Christian Wood appears on the roster for the Mavericks. Wood, a 6-11 power forward from UNLV, has 30 games of NBA experience between his time in Philly and Charlotte the past 2 seasons.
Next, the man, the myth, the legend, he is, Satnam Singh. Standing at a staggering 7-feet-2-inches, Satnam has the potential somewhere inside him to be a solid big man. However, those days seem far away as Satnam is still developing in the Texas Legends organization.
Finally, former Baylor Bear Johnathan Motley will have a shot at joining the Mavericks regular season roster. Motley, a former consensus All-American, might have the best shot at standing out and signing a contract with Dallas. During his senior year at Baylor, Motley averaged 17.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game.
All in All
Given it is the Orlando Summer League, I am not sure if we will be watching the next great Mavericks this summer. But, there are a few names on the roster that could be able to become a solid piece in Dallas’ future. If I had to bet on one player, I would say Johnathan Motley is going to make a name for himself one day, and I hope Dallas is the place he does it.
Next: ACL Tear A Thing of the Past for Dennis Smith Jr.
Tune in on Saturday as we watch the Dallas Mavericks take on the New York Knicks.