30 Greatest Dallas Mavericks players in franchise history

19. Jay Vincent

Vincent was part of the Mavs' historic 1981 draft class. He was their third of three top-25 picks, and the 6’7 forward turned into a steal. Vincent immediately cracked the rotation and averaged a career-high 21.4 points per game as a rookie. He helped the Mavs make the playoffs for the first time in 1984 and continued to be a key contributor over three postseason appearances.

His production and playing time varied over his five seasons with the Mavericks. He was the leading scorer in his rookie year before becoming a second option in year two and more of a sixth man in his final three years. Still, the 6’7 forward averaged 16.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 29.6 minutes per game in Dallas.

Jay Vincent was traded to the Washington Bullets in 1986, and he played for five teams over the next four seasons before going overseas in 1990 to finish his playing career. After retiring, Vincent plead guilty to fraud charges in 2011 and spent five years in prison.

He is 19th in career games played with the Dallas Mavericks and ninth in field goals made, despite suiting up for them for just five years. Vincent helped the franchise start winning, and he will forever be a key piece of their history.