Dallas Mavericks: Could Brandon Ashley Compete for Minutes?

The Dallas Mavericks brought Brandon Ashley in this summer once again and, for the second year in a row, he shined as a scorer. Now that he will be with the team in the preseason, can Ashley find his way onto the Mavs team fighting for minutes?

Of all the new names that the Dallas Mavericks have brought in this year on non-guaranteed deals, none should be more intriguing than that of Brandon Ashley, a 6’9″ wing who played college ball for Arizona. Ashley has lit up the scoreboard for the Mavs the last two years in summer league basketball and now will get a chance to prove that he is worthy for a roster spot.

Brandon Ashley has been an impressive scorer since his first day with the Mavs organization. Although he has not shown an above average skill set outside of that, this is still a league based on who scores the most points. Ashley will be competing for a backup forward spot with other hopefuls like Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, and Jonathan Motley.

Ashley has a very different skill set than the others on the list as we don’t know a whole lot about Kleber but we know DFS and Motley are more focused on the defensive end. Ashley plays well as a wing, whereas Motley is definitely more of a low post player. It really depends on what the Mavs front office believes they need the most.

I believe that Ashley presents an opportunity for a scorer off the bench. That may not be as much of a focus this year with Seth Curry, Yogi Ferrell, and JJ Barea likely coming in to pour in points off the bench, but Ashley could add to that far more than Dorian Finney-Smith ever did. Ashley has a nice jumper and can attack the rim well. We only saw brief flashes of that from DFS.

Despite the popular idea that the roster is all but set for the Dallas Mavericks, I really believe that Ashley will present an interesting argument for the Mavs to go a different direction than what is deemed the obvious. He may not turn any heads during the season, but having him at your disposal is something in itself.

Next: NBA Roundtable: Who Will Be Rookie of the Year?

No matter what happens, I hope that Brandon Ashley stays in the Mavs system for a little while longer. He is only 23 years old and still has some potential to be proven. Maybe never more than a bench player, but that is still more than nothing.