Instant reaction: Dallas Mavericks get three picks in 2nd round

The Dallas Mavericks stuck to their guns into the 2nd round and selected former Villanova Wildcat and two-time NCAA champion, Jalen Brunson. Brunson will bring a very professional attitude with him to the Mavs. Mavs also select Ray Spalding and Kostas Antetokounmpo in a trade with the 76ers.

Admittedly, this first pick does not make a lot of sense to me. I like Jalen Brunson and think he will do well in the NBA or will at least prove to be a great locker room guy, but the Mavs do not need anymore guards. The logjam at the helm of the offense will be interesting and will give Coach Carlisle something to work on leading up to the season.

After selecting Luka Doncic with the first round pick, the Mavs seemed to be set with guards between Dennis Smith Jr., J.J. Barea, Yogi Ferrell, Seth Curry, and now Luka Doncic. Either way, Jalen Brunson is a great player with a historic college career and there is a good chance that he will earn his spot on the court for Dallas.

After the 33rd selection, the Dallas Mavericks weren’t on the board again until the 54th pick. They ended up making a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire the 56th and 60th picks.

At 54, the Mavs selected Ray Spalding out of Louisville. Truthfully, I don’t know much about Spalding, but he is definitely a big guy with a long wingspan and will find his home above the rim on both ends of the court.

He was not much of a shooter in college and did a majority of his scoring near the basket, but he will be a good rebounder and a reasonable defender if he gets a spot with the Mavs. His shot also appears to be better than advertised, according to the video below.

Here is some video from Spalding during his time at Louisville.

Lastly, we have Kostas Antetokounmpo, the former Dayton Flyer and little brother to Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. Kostas was far from polished during his short stint at Dayton and has a lot of things to work on, but for the price of the 60th pick in the draft, he is a great project to work with.

Kostas is 6’10” with a near 7’0″ wingspan, measurements that are very close to his older brother. Although he has not shown the natural basketball instinct that Giannis has, I am very happy with this pick. Kostas looked good in the draft combine scrimmages and will hope to get more chance to prove himself on the court once he is in Dallas.

Here is some video highlights of the “Assassin from Athens”.

This Mavs draft will be one to remember. Keep following us here for more analysis of the Mavericks picks and how we think the roster will shape up.