Mavericks can draft the controversial player other teams fear and mask his flaw

Ever since Darius Acuff Jr. took college basketball by storm earlier this year for the Arkansas Razorbacks, Dallas Mavericks fans have dreamed about drafting him with their lottery pick this summer. His shooting and dominant overall offensive game made him a fan-favorite draft target, but his defense has caused serious doubts about his NBA ceiling and overall impact at the next level.

Dallas can cover Darius Acuff Jr.'s biggest flaw

Despite this, the Mavericks have the personnel to make Acuff Jr. an excellent fit in Dallas as Cooper Flagg's long-term running mate. Even though he and Kyrie Irving wouldn't be the best fit together due to natural size concerns, Dallas has the back line to clean up any defensive lapse that Acuff Jr. may make.

Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and Flagg are all incredible help-side rim protectors, and they'd always be lurking off the ball to help Acuff Jr. if he gets beat off the dribble. They already have a defense-first core intact since Flagg is their centerpiece, and they have the pieces to make up for Acuff Jr.'s struggles on that end of the floor.

Acuff Jr.'s poor defense at Arkansas was headlined by his poor effort, off-ball awareness, and screen navigation. These things can't be ignored, considering that someone will ultimately draft him with a top-10 pick, but he should be able to improve next season.

Effort, energy, and intensity are half the battle on defense, and Jason Kidd is known for getting this out of his players. Just look at what he did with Luka Doncic. He was never the best defender on the team, but when he locked in, he was a strong individual defender in big moments. This is all that Dallas would need out of Acuff Jr., and defensive concerns should not keep them from drafting him by any means.

The Mavericks have so many issues to handle to begin with, and they can't expect every player on their roster to be a strong defender. Defense is only half of the game, and Dallas' offense needs some reforming as well.

Acuff Jr. would help fix the Mavericks' biggest problems

They were the 27th-ranked offense in the NBA, and their 3-point shooting was horrendous as well. They shot 34.4 percent from three on 31.9 attempts per game, and both of these numbers ranked in the bottom five of the NBA.

Even with Irving back in the lineup, their offense won't fix itself. They have to bring in some players who can create their own shot, knock down open threes, and playmake, and Acuff Jr. brings all of these things.

He shot 44 percent from three on 5.8 attempts per game, and he was an assassin off the catch as well as the dribble. Dallas needs as much shooting as they can get around Flagg, and if they draft Acuff Jr., they'd be landing one of the most dangerous shooters in the draft.

On top of this, he's a strong floor general who can run the offense when needed as well, and he could learn from one of the most skilled point guards of all time in Irving. The Mavericks would finally bring in the backup point guard they've desperately needed, and before long, he'd have the chance to take the reins from Irving and become Flagg's co-star of the future.

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