Mavericks' nightmare season takes dark turn with youngster needing surgery

The Dallas Mavericks' 2024-25 campaign has been the furthest thing from expected after last season's magical run to the 2024 NBA Finals, and their chances of making a similar run again this season are looking nonexistent.

The injury bug has plagued Dallas even before the season began, and it has persisted into the final stretch. The Mavericks lost Kyrie Irving to an ACL tear at the beginning of this week, and his injury added to a long list of injuries that the team seemingly can't get over.

The most glaring injury on the team outside of Irving's ACL tear is Anthony Davis' adductor strain, and while he is making some positive progress to potentially making a return this season, it might not even be worth it. Along with Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are two of Dallas' other bigs who are also out indefinitely with injuries, and another frontcourt player joined this list on Friday.

Prosper will miss remainder of season with wrist injury

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Olivier-Maxence Prosper is expected to need season-ending surgery on his right wrist due to ligament damage. Prosper was set to continue to receive a bigger role due to all of the injuries, and his season will end disappointingly as this injury hit him out of nowhere.

This season for Dallas, Prosper is averaging 3.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game while shooting 40.2 percent from the field, and it sounds like fans will have to wait until next year to see him on the hardwood again due to this unexpected wrist injury.

This upcoming stretch would have been the perfect time for him to prove to Jason Kidd that he deserves a significant role, even once fully healthy, and he would have been able to go through the growing pains of being accustomed to a consistent role. Prosper's first two seasons in the NBA haven't gone as well as initially expected, as he was extremely hyped heading into his rookie year last season, and next season will be pivotal for his development.

While Prosper's jumper looked excellent during his time with the Texas Legends of the G League last season when he shot 42.5 percent from three, he hasn't been able to have that same success in the NBA. This season, Prosper is shooting 23.5 percent from three on one attempt per game, and that number must rise over the next few years if he wants to reach his ceiling.

He has the intangibles to be a solid 3-and-D wing in this league, as his size, defense, and hustle are undeniable, but everything else still needs to fall into place. While Prosper said the game began to start slowing down for him this season, he must continue to get more comfortable when he's on the floor and make good decisions on the fly.

He has shown promise over the first two years of his career, and a full recovery ahead of next season should allow for him to prepare for whatever role Kidd assigns him next season. Prosper will be eager to attack his recovery this offseason, and fans will be supporting him every step of the way.