Dallas Mavericks: Ceilings and floors for the rookies

The Dallas Mavericks have not had much opportunity to showcase their rookies this season. A combination of factors, including high hopes entering the season and a roster loaded with role players, made it difficult to find playing time for Dallas’s freshmen.

Late draft picks face an uphill battle to earn playing time. In a shortened first season coming out of an already compressed college season with no Summer League, it turned into a nearly impossible climb.

Despite the challenges, the Mavs rookies did make enough of an impression in their limited time on an NBA court as well as the time they spent in the G-League to re-evaluate how they will fare in the pros moving forward.

Dallas Mavericks trying to turn rookies into meaningful contributors

A team in the Mavs’ position has a very specific goal in the draft. Playoff teams are usually stuck with later picks unless they did some prior finessing and traded for a lottery team’s pick.

With only late picks in tow and a championship-level young core, rather than mining for diamonds in the rough, Dallas this year was focused on finding role players they could add on rookie contracts.

Adding contributors on discounted deals ensures that Dallas can keep their young core intact and possibly add a third star through free agency.

With that in mind, the Dallas Mavericks used their three selections in the 2020 draft to find valuable assets in the late first and second rounds. They also added a fourth player through undrafted free agency.

With what they’ve shown so far, here’s what can be expected of the freshmen moving forward.

Next: Josh Green