3 NBA Draft picks Mavs rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper should have been taken over

The Dallas Mavericks surprised many when they traded back into the first round to select Olivier-Maxence Prosper with the 24th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. But after watching how Prosper played in the NBA Summer League, some teams are probably going to regret passing on him in the first round.

Prosper showed flashes of the asset he will end up being. He was a force on the boards, grabbing offensive and defensive rebounds. He also created plays to give the Mavericks some momentum when they weren't making their shots.

Mavericks Summer League Coach Jared Dudley was so impressed with how he played after the first game that he gave Prosper more minutes. Prosper rose to the occasion and looked like he could start as a power forward on some NBA teams.

There were 23 other players that went before him which was kind of surprising. Most teams had him in the 12-18 range in the first round. At 6-foot-8 and with a 7'1 wingspan, I'm surprised more teams weren't interested in drafting him.

Throughout the season, Dallas will see most of these players, including the number one overall pick, Victor Wembanyama, whom the Mavericks will play first to open up their 2023-24 season.

Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison apparently saw enough at Prosper's NBA Draft workouts that he was okay trading back in and drafting him. Let's take a look at some of the players that were drafted that Prosper and why he should have been taken ahead of them.