Mavericks look like clear winners from Day 1 at the NBA Combine

The NBA Combine is upon us, and measurements, testing, and scrimmages will shine a light on which prospects stand out. However, there’s a flip side, and it may have helped the Dallas Mavericks, who hold the No. 9 pick in the draft. Houston’s Kingston Flemings, a projected top-seven candidate, posted underwhelming measurements on the first day of the combine, which could cause him to slide right into Dallas’ range.

He has even been projected to go as high as five during the pre-draft process, but these measurements could push him into the Mavericks' range, making them early winners from Day 1 in Chicago. Flemings' disappointing height and wingspan were far from expected, and Dallas could find themselves in a position to draft a player who was often considered the second-best guard in the draft behind Darryn Peterson at No. 9.

NBA Combine raises questions about Kingston Flemings’ draft stock

Flemings was listed at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds on the Cougars’ website. Yet, at the combine, he measured just 6-foot-2.5 and 183 pounds with a massively underwhelming 6-foot-3.5 wingspan. Those measurements put him in a similar mold physically to Jared McCain and Dallas’ very own Kyrie Irving.

Prior thinking was that Flemings was both long and tall enough to potentially play as a combo guard in the NBA, while his strong defensive profile was backed by his presumed measurements. But now, there’s reason for pause. Can Flemings play any position other than point guard? And will his steal numbers translate to the NBA with such limited length?

Measurements always seem to be overplayed, but Flemings’s could definitely work in the Mavericks’ favor. At Houston, he appeared capable of playing multiple positions, which strengthened his draft case. Moreover, his 4.1 rebounds per game and above-average finishing rate for a guard helped solidify him as one of the draft’s top prospects.

Now, it seems as if Flemings’s only true position is point guard, and that his versatility may have been buoyed by the Cougars’ elite defensive scheme and the physicality of his teammates. As for his above-average finishing rate, it may be that Flemings could thrive at the collegiate level but struggle against NBA length.

While Flemings averaged 1.5 steals per game and posted an impressive 3.0 steal percentage, it could easily be that Houston’s scheme once again aided him, and that many of those steals were more a product of gambling than fundamentally sound defense.

Flemings’ fit with the Dallas Mavericks

All in all, the new questions surrounding Flemings could ultimately allow the Mavericks to pounce. Of course, Dallas could share these very concerns, but there comes a time when they have to be overlooked, especially if he falls to No. 9.

Furthermore, Dallas is already long and rangy. Flagg, at 6-foot-8, even started games at point guard a season ago. He’ll likely slot in at small forward next season, but it illustrates just how much size the Mavericks already have. That matters because it means slotting in a smaller guard at point or playing alongside Irving at the two in a pinch wouldn’t be a deal-breaker.

Lastly, it’s worth noting that the new team president has historically valued size and length — traits that, as outlined, aren’t necessarily Flemings’s calling card. Nonetheless, Masai Ujiri has never shied away from overlooking a prospect’s flaws if he believes the value supersedes them, and that’s exactly the kind of scenario that could bring Flemings into play.

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