3 non-guaranteed/two-way players who could crack the Mavericks’ rotation

1. A.J. Lawson

A.J. Lawson finally found a home in Dallas last year after signing a two-way contract mid-season and was impressive when given the opportunity at the end of last season. The 6-foot-6 wing first intrigued Mavericks fans with a red-hot shooting performance from outside in the Mavericks' first Summer League game of the 2022 NBA Summer League against the Chicago Bulls.

Mavericks fans were clamoring for Lawson to return to the team in some capacity, but he was unfortunately swooped up by Minnesota to start the 2022-23 season and split time with them as well as the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League before officially being signed by Dallas on December 26, 2022.

Compared to that first clip above in the 2022 NBA Summer League, Lawson has noticeably added muscle mass to his frame. He has a plus-sized wing span and has always been a great disruptor at the point of attack on defense with his tantalizing length and athleticism that he carries over most guards in the NBA. If he can prove that he can defend wings and his work in the gym translates, Lawson would easily be the best player on this list.

He's easily the most proven shooter out of all the wings on this list as he shot 40 percent from outside last season with Dallas in limited playing time, and shot 35 percent from downtown on eight 3-point attempts per game in his junior season at South Carolina University.

Lawson will need to show that he is a hallmark of consistency from the outside if he wants to crack the Mavs' rotation next year. But if he continues to defend well on all fronts and is able to continue filling in the gaps on offense by finishing out in transition and cutting off-ball, then he easily will have the most applicable path to getting playing time in the Mavs' main rotation out of anyone else that was aforementioned on this list, especially since he's on a two-way deal and not an Exhibit 10.

Stay tuned as we'll have you covered with the latest developments surrounding A.J. Lawson and the rest of the Dallas Mavericks as they approach regular season play here in just 15 days with just two remaining preseason games left.