Dallas Mavericks: Finding Players Where Many Fear to Look

The Dallas Mavericks have had a rough season, there is no denying that. Although the year has not gone as well as many would have hoped, there seems to be a pretty good basis for the lack of success. Just look at the Mavs current roster.

There are a lot of people excited about the upcoming NBA Draft, and for good reason. With a crazy amount of talent sitting atop the draft board, it makes sense that the fans are excited to see who Dallas will pick with their three picks. Everyone wants to see who they will be cheering for next year.

One thing that has been an important part of recent NBA seasons has been the undrafted rookies getting signed. Although there are only a handful that end up being successful even in the best years, There are always a few that get their shot.

The Mavericks take that few to a completely different level.

If you tasked a casual fan to name a couple players in the NBA that were not drafted, they probably would struggle to come up with some names. However, if you gave the same task to a Mavs fan, they could probably do a little bit better. And for good reason.

Here is a breakdown of where each of the current Mavericks players were taken in their respective drafts.

DALLAS, TX – MARCH 22: J.J. Barea #5 of the Dallas Mavericks is introduced prior to them game against the Utah Jazz on March 22, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Nerlens Noel: 6th overall pick in 2013

Harrison Barnes: 7th overall pick in 2012

Dirk Nowitzki: 9th overall pick in 1998

Dennis Smith Jr.: 9th overall in 2017

Doug McDermott: 11th overall pick in 2014

Dwight Powell: 45th overall pick in 2014

J.J. Barea: Undrafted in 2006

Wesley Matthews: Undrafted in 2009

Seth Curry: Undrafted in 2013

Salah Mejri: Undrafted in 2015

Dorian Finney-Smith: Undrafted in 2016

Yogi Ferrell: Undrafted in 2016

Kyle Collinsworth: Undrafted in 2016

Jalen Jones: Undrafted in 2016

Maxi Kleber: Undrafted in 2017

Johnathan Motley: Undrafted in 2017

Yes, you read that right. Only six of the current Dallas Mavericks were selected in the NBA Draft. The other 10 were all undrafted in their respective draft class before finding their way to Dallas in some way.

Many of these misses are pretty bad (players like Adam Morrison, Tyrus Thomas, and Randy Foye drafted in 2006, Hasheem Thabeet and Jonny Flynn in 2009, and of course Anthony Bennett and Shane Larkin in 2013).

This is all fascinating but it really does help you understand why the Mavs are underperforming this year. Aside from a near 40-year old legend, a rookie, three stars that haven’t panned out yet, and Dwight Powell, Dallas is all players who were overlooked in the draft. Scouting in the NBA is pretty bad, but I find it hard to believe that they missed that much NBA level talent.

Next: The Forgotten Dallas Mavericks: Roy Tarpley

Next year should be a good turnaround for Dallas, who will search for answers in free agency and the draft. But this year should forevermore be known as the year of the undrafted in Dallas. It really is fascinating.