Mavericks' once-controversial gamble proves to not end in failure after all

Following an embarrassing loss for the Dallas Mavericks on their home court against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, they came up just short in a back-to-back loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday

Usually, the Mavs have been a top-five team in the NBA in back-to-back games on the road since last season, but the Mavs' early-season demons in clutch time came back to bite them this time.

To add insult to injury, the Mavericks could be making a realization that another big might need to come into the picture with Dereck Lively II going down with yet another injury. The good news is that Lively II's X-ray results on his sprained ankle came back negative.

While Dallas is still figuring out their identity without Luka Doncic, one young forward in the making has been drawing eyes among Mavs fans for quite some time, and as to whether we'll see more minutes from Olivier-Maxence Prosper remains a mystery, but he's doing things that at least deserve a look from Jason Kidd.

Prosper's hustle and energy should force Kidd's hand for more minutes

The Mavericks gambling on a young forward on a loaded roster doesn't look to be a far-fetched idea, in fact, it might end up paying off in the long run if they stick with Prosper. Rolling with Prosper and developing him despite competing for a championship right now was a bold decision by Dallas after his slow rookie year, and now may finally be the time that he makes the most of his minutes and earns a limited role moving forward.

Prosper predicted that he would "absolutely" get more minutes this season, and by the end of this regular season, that very well might be the case. He promised to be a disrupter and to make life difficult for whoever he's guarding. Prosper does a great job moving his feet on defense, and it's worth Kidd giving him more of a look in the near future.

Against the Pelicans, Prosper was hustling to tip the ball out on rebounds to extend possessions, draw fouls, and dish the ball to his teammates. Some of that might not be on the box score, but the impact is clearly felt among the team as he brings more energy than anyone we've seen in Dallas in a while.

There's no doubt Prosper is a great athlete with some potential ahead of him, no matter when or where that might be. The things that don't end up on the stat sheet are what Kidd needs to look at in order to give him more of a fair shot on the court.

While Prosper only had one point with four rebounds and one assist, his versatility on the court is not hard to see.

The only thing that may be stopping Prosper for the moment is Maxi Kleber, who's on Kidd's good side over the years for experience, hard work, and defense. The Mavs can afford to use Kleber more on the defensive end while already having a bunch of key scorers.

Prosper could grow into a monster perimeter defender one day, but those days might start soon if the Mavs are looking to move Kleber somewhere else. Nonetheless, Prosper's natural athleticism and energy should give him a chance for Kidd to get a look at him playing more going forward. He subbed into the game early against the Pelicans, playing over five and a half minutes in the first quarter, and more could be on the way.

We've always known that Prosper brings unmatched energy and hustle, and if the rest of his game can rise just a bit more, he will be in a great spot moving forward to earn consistent minutes.