Dallas Mavericks player profile: Salah Mejri

The expectations for Salah Mejri this season are so low that it would be hard to be unsuccessful for the big Tunisian center. Still, Dallas Mavericks fans aren’t always easy to please. What can we expect from The Mej in the upcoming Mavs season?

The tales of Salah Mejri may be told for years to come by the Dallas Mavericks fanbase. As one of the most unique players to step foot on the American Airlines Center floor in a Mavs uniform, it is unclear exactly what Salah’s legacy will be. However, most MFFL have a pretty good idea of what he will be up to this season.

Salah Mejri joined the NBA and the Dallas Mavericks prior to the 2015-16 season and was utilized on occasion in his first season. By season two, Salah was a more regular occurring member of the rotation, including landing 11 starts throughout the year. His third year he went back down a little bit but was still put in fairly often by Coach Carlisle.

Despite playing in quite a few games over the last few years, Mejri does not have a great reputation with Mavs fans. He offers some good defense above the rim and isn’t bad catching the lob on the other end, but his attitude on the court and the way he carries himself has set him back some in his development.

Here are some of the things we can expect from Salah Mejri in the upcoming season.

Highs

Salah really is an excellent defender above the rim. We got our first glimpse of what Mejri can be during a game two years ago against the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the game, Salah recorded multiple blocks on both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. His defense is strong and his timing is excellent to turn people away at the rim.

He is also an energetic player that is willing to run the floor (as awkwardly as possible) in order to get above the rim for lob attempts. This is a great way to utiliza Salah with his height and agility because other centers sometimes struggle keeping up with his tenacity. He is also one of the most aggressive players on the court at any time which can sometimes be a bad thing, but it helps him get in the head of some of the guys he plays against.

Lows

The low side of things has a name coined by Rick Carlisle during last season. On any given night, it is unclear whether you will end up with Salah Mejri or The Mej on the court. When The Mej is out there, there’s no telling what might happen. Last season, when The Mej earned his nickname, Salah played only a few minutes and ended up getting ejected while yelling at refs, coaches, teammates, the other team and everything in between.

The best Mejri is not worth the risk of getting the worst Mejri on the court, unfortunately. He is back for yet another year and while Mavs fans will continue to support him, he will need to do the right things in order to make some new fans this year.