Mavericks just found a dream Klay Thompson successor perfect for Kyrie Irving

The Dallas Mavericks' draft process was one of the easiest for the franchise in recent memory as the No. 1 overall pick fell into their lap, and Cooper Flagg was a no-brainer first overall selection out of Duke. While the Flagg hype train has been in full effect over the last week as the Mavericks have played in the Las Vegas Summer League, it only took two games for fans to realize he belonged in the NBA.

While Flagg was the only draft night selection the Mavericks made, they quickly signed both Ryan Nembhard and Miles Kelly to a two-way contract after the two fell out of the second round. Many fans were quick to label Nembhard as one of the steals of the draft, considering the Mavericks didn't give up any assets in the process of signing him, but Kelly has quickly made a name for himself through his Summer League play.

Throughout the draft process, Kelly was always listed as an athletic sharpshooter who had favorable defensive intangibles at 6-foot-6, but after falling out of the second round, the Mavericks were quick to pick him up as a possible Klay Thompson replacement. Through four games, Kelly has made a name for himself not only as a possible Thompson replacement but as a player who could form a deadly duo with Kyrie Irving moving forward.

Miles Kelly and Kyrie Irving will form an underrated duo in Dallas

In just four games with the Mavericks' Summer League squad, Kelly has quickly become a fan favorite on a two-way contract due to his incredible shot-making ability and favorable defensive intangibles. What also makes Kelly a unique prospect is that coming out of college he was touted as one of the better shooters of his class, but he has added an aspect of ball-handling to his game that will only make it harder to keep him off the floor as a rookie.

While Kelly is only on a two-way contract, Mavericks Summer League coach Josh Broghamer understands that he has the perfect opportunity to play more and develop his game at the pro level if he continues to develop his handle.

"I think it's only going to expand his ability to play or be on the floor more," Broghamer said when asked about Kelly's handle. "That's also going to make it harder to guard him, you can run him off of multiple different actions... just letting him start the offense is going to give us a big dynamic."

While it is just a small sample size, Kelly has already proven to be an advanced player, despite being on a two-way contract. Now, with the Summer League coming to a close in a few days, Kelly will have the opportunity to not only learn from a shooter of Thompson's caliber, but he will have the perfect opportunity to form a duo alongside Irving once he makes a return to the floor from his torn ACL.

Alongside Irving, Kelly will not only be free to open up space due to his outside shot-making, but Irving can knife passes to Kelly no matter what spot he is on around the perimeter. To make matters even more interesting, Kelly can put the ball on the floor, which could allow Irving to work off-ball.

While Kelly is still a very raw athlete and has yet to show his product against an NBA-level defense, it's already easy to see how it will be hard to keep Kelly off the floor for long periods of time. Not only can Kelly play a little bit of the two guard spot similar to how Thompson does, but the Mavericks are still in desperate need of shooting off the bench, and Kelly checks that box.

Kelly will still have a lot to prove, considering he is only on a two-way spot for the Mavericks, but it's already easy to see that he could be competing for a roster spot next season if he continues to build on his game. There's no doubt amongst fans that the Mavericks may have gotten two steals in the undrafted free agency market with Nembhard and Kelly, but Kelly has the perfect opportunity to make a real splash in his rookie season.

Alongside Irving and Thompson, Kelly will have the perfect veterans to mold his game around and learn from, which could make him a scary player that will fit Flagg's timeline if he continues to impress Dallas' coaching staff.