Dallas Mavericks: Who is Josh Reaves and what could he become?

Dallas Mavericks: Who is Josh Reaves and what can he become?

The Dallas Mavericks were allowed to bring their two-way players to Orlando for the season’s restart after the NBA expanded the rosters. That meant Josh Reaves and Antonius Cleveland would be joining the team in Walt Disney World.

Reaves had played less than two minutes with the Mavs before coming to Orlando. The 23-year-old is an undrafted rookie. Reaves attended Oak Hill Academy in high school, the alma-mater of Carmelo Anthony, where he was a four-star recruit in 2015. After high school, he spent four years at Penn State where he won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.

Reaves first joined the Mavs for the Las Vegas Summer in 2019. He stoodout during that event. Reaves averaged 12.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in Vegas. That helped earn him a two-way deal with the Mavericks.

How Dallas Mavericks wing Josh Reaves performed this season

Reaves spent most of his time with the Texas Legends this season. He averaged 13.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.0 steals in 30.6 minutes per over 37 games this season. Reaves’ jumper is still a work in progress. He shot just 32.9 percent from 3-point range while being below average from the field and free-throw line as well. Defense has always been Reaves’ calling card.

Reaves has received a few minutes for the Mavericks inside the bubble. He played 13.6 against the Jazz finishing with four points and three assists. Reaves showed energy and flashes that his defense could carry over to the NBA.

Reaves’ NBA minutes have been too insignificant thus far to make any bold statements about his potential future impact. NBA coaches often say that if a player can defend, he can get time on the floor. Michael Kidd Gilchrist, who might have the ugliest jump shot in NBA history, played against the Blazers on Monday because of his defense.

Here is a look at the best and worse-case scenarios for Josh Reaves based off what fans have seen thus far.

Next: Worst-case scenario