Mavericks' underrated hidden gem could quietly decide next season's fate

With Kyrie Irving bound to miss an indefinite amount of time next season, the Dallas Mavericks will be relying heavily upon the rest of their guard corps to fulfill the playmaking and shot-creation void Irving will be leaving behind. The Mavericks stretch-and-waived Olivier-Maxence Prosper yesterday to make room for Dante Exum, so Max Christie, D'Angelo Russell, Exum, Jaden Hardy, and Brandon Williams will be the quintet responsible for trying to replicate Irving's production.

All signs point toward Dallas having brought in Russell to be their starting point guard once the season starts, especially since Russell is primed for a bounce-back season. However, Russell is coming off the worst offensive season of his career, and many fans and analysts think Williams could be an even better option as a starter.

Williams was uber-efficient down the stretch of last season for the Mavericks, proving he could be a solid playmaker and three-level creator when given extended opportunity. Even with Dallas' lack of talent in their guard pool compared to other rosters with Irving out of the lineup, only one of Exum or Hardy will get to see the floor on a consistent basis if Williams continues on the track he was last season, as he projects to be one of the best backup point guards in the entire league based on how he was playing.

Brandon Williams will raise Dallas' ceiling tremendously

Projecting how Williams will play next season is a risky bet considering how small a sample size Mavericks fans have of him playing as efficiently offensively as he has, but the writing is on the wall for him to continue his high level of production. In just 33 games and only 14.8 minutes per contest last season, Williams averaged 8.3 points, 2.3 assists, and 0.7 steals per game on shooting splits of 52.1/40.0/83.3.

Despite only being 6-foot-2, Williams has a wiry frame and is a pesky on-ball defender, so Dallas won't lose a lot with him being at the point of attack, as long as they aren't facing a lineup that has huge guards across the board. Williams had multiple 20-plus point outbursts toward the end of the last season, and even scored a career-high 31 points versus the Memphis Grizzlies on March 7, so it's clear he can replicate starting-level production when given the opportunity.

As aforementioned, Russell is poised for a bounce-back offensive season in Dallas, but Williams is only 25 years old and has had his NBA career derailed due to injuries and limited opportunity thus far, so it's inevitable Williams will be hungrier than ever to prove himself on the NBA stage, and it wouldn't be surprising if he eventually overtakes Russell in the starting lineup if next season bares any resemblance to last season for Williams.

Williams has the type of dribble package and shot-creation repertoire that is seldom seen at any level of basketball, even the NBA, as it's clear he's been a sponge to Irving since setting foot in Dallas, based on some of the moves he busts out. Williams is easily the biggest wild card heading into next season for the Mavericks, and could raise or lower their ceiling dramatically, but fans should be more ready than not for him to have a bona fide breakout year for the Mavericks, as it's his first time in his career where he's projected to have a rotational spot from the start of the season.