Mavericks sneakily pulled off steal of the preseason at the perfect time

The Dallas Mavericks' 18-man roster is officially set ahead of the 2024-25 season beginning later this week.

After going 0-3 in the preseason, Dallas had a couple of decisions to make before ultimately finalizing their roster on Saturday. They had 21 players on the training camp roster, but only 18 players (including two-way guys) can be on the team's official roster heading into the regular season.

Dallas started their flurry of moves off by waiving A.J. Lawson, Jamarion Sharp, and Emanuel Miller, with the most significant of these moves being waiving Lawson. He was on a two-way deal for a portion of the preseason, and this allowed the Mavs to make the move that seemingly every fan was begging for.

Mavs' under-the-radar move to sign Gortman will pay off immediately

Dallas used their final two-way spot (freed up by waiving Lawson) to sign Jazian Gortman, and this move could quietly end up being the steal of the preseason for Dallas. Gortman was playing like someone who should be on a standard NBA contract, and the numbers reflect that.

Gortman averaged 10.3 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from downtown. He was excellent in all four preseason games he played in, and he even got the starting nod against the LA Clippers.

Gortman made a name for himself among the Mavs faithful for his defense, 3-point shooting, and all-around offensive game in this preseason, and his first game with Dallas is what really got the ball rolling.

He dropped 19 points, three rebounds, and four steals while shooting 7-13 from the field and 4-7 from downtown, and it was clear that he was ready to make a name for himself in Dallas. His fearless drive and ultra-competitive nature were on display at the American Airlines Center that night against the Memphis Grizzlies, and this was the first step in him fulfilling his dream of making a roster in the NBA.

He followed that performance up with a couple of more solid performances, and he displayed plenty of the necessary skills needed to succeed in the NBA as an undersized guard. Gortman is only 6-foot-2, but he plays much bigger than that.

He excelled when getting to the bucket, knocking down open shots, and leading the offense when needed, and his ability to play alongside Dallas' star players is something that Jason Kidd liked about his game. Being able to mesh with Dallas' stars on the floor is crucial to succeed as a Maverick, and Gortman checked off that box quickly.

On the other end, he uses his 6-foot-9 wingspan to harass opposing ball handlers, and his length allows him to disrupt many more shots than he should be able to at 6-foot-2. Gortman takes pride in going all-out on defense and picking up 94 feet when needed, and his defensive prowess is one of the main reasons that Dallas may have pulled off the steal of the preseason.

With Dante Exum being out for the next couple of months after undergoing wrist surgery, the Mavs are more thin at guard than expected. While Jaden Hardy played well in the preseason, Spencer Dinwiddie struggled. This makes Gortman's route to receiving real minutes in Dallas much more feasible than originally expected if Dinwiddie can't be reliable in his minutes, and this isn't typical for a two-way guy.

Gortman's play is well beyond his years when looking at his feel for the game and ability to get to his spots inside the arc, and he took the next step in his development at the perfect time. The Mavs needed some guard depth after Exum went down, and Gortman went from having a "terrible" Summer League to being a preseason standout in a matter of a couple of months.

Jason Kidd praised Gortman's work ethic and loved his competitiveness throughout the entire preseason. Gortman worked hard to secure this two-way spot, and the next step for him is securing a spot in the rotation.