Mavericks' forgotten signing suddenly became impossible for Jason Kidd to ignore

John Poulakidas played in his second game as a Dallas Maverick on Sunday afternoon against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and his performance in 15 minutes of action was too strong for Jason Kidd to ignore.

He finished with 10 points, three rebounds, and one steal while shooting 4-6 from the field and 2-3 from downtown, showing Kidd and the rest of the coaching staff how much he can impact the game with his shooting and energy coming off the bench.

John Poulakidas just gave Jason Kidd something to think about

The Mavericks' 3-point shooting has been one of their biggest weaknesses this season, but Sunday's win over the Cavaliers was an exception to that. Dallas shot 15-30 from beyond the arc against Cleveland, with these 15 makes tying their season high for 3-pointers in a game. Kidd's decision to start P.J. Washington at the five helped spearhead this effort, but everyone across the board helped contribute.

The spacing that the Mavericks created in this game was much better than usual, and as this game proved, shots from downtown can come in bunches. Making 3-pointers can be contagious in the NBA, and Dallas showed this with a balanced effort against the Cavs.

Nine of the 10 Mavericks that played at least five minutes knocked down at least one shot from beyond the arc, with Poulakidas easily being the best shooter in that second unit. His two made threes tied Max Christie for the third-most on the team for the game, and his showing in this game was a great look into the type of role he can play moving forward.

Why John Poulakidas might stick in Dallas

Dallas signed Poulakidas to a two-way contract earlier this month, as they desperately needed more shooting around Cooper Flagg to finish the season. This move came with a few other moves, as the Mavericks waived Miles Kelly while converting Ryan Nembhard's two-way contract to a standard deal.

Poulakidas' addition to the roster definitely excited fans due to how well he shot in the G League this season (45.1 percent from three in 37 games for the San Diego Clippers), and he finally had the chance to play a real role over the weekend.

Poulakidas looked confident in both of his 3-point makes, and both of his mid-range jumpers looked good as well. Dallas has needed someone who doesn't hesitate to shoot open looks and is a high-volume 3-point shooter all season now, and Poulakidas can be this and more if Kidd continues to give him playing time.

Why the Mavericks need to keep giving John Poulakidas minutes

With the Mavericks needing to tank in an effort to improve their draft odds, playing Poulakidas big minutes for more games down the final stretch of the season seems like a perfect plan. He needs as much playing time as possible to develop, and by the end of the season, Kidd should have a better idea of whether he sees him as a long-term fit in Dallas' system.

Poulakidas still has a long way to go before he's an everyday rotation player in today's NBA, but the Mavericks are obviously in need of players with his skill set. Flagg is at his best when surrounded by shooting, and the rookie could prove that he deserves to join Dallas' young core if he can continue to perform like this.