5 Players on Mavericks Summer League team that could make regular season roster
By Will Miller
![Dallas Mavericks, Brandon Williams Dallas Mavericks, Brandon Williams](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4423,h_2487,x_0,y_11/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/83/01j2hdmdqr0n2z681ew0.jpg)
The Dallas Mavericks' Summer League roster is hard at work in preparation for their trip to Las Vegas, as Dallas' Summer League squad is set to take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday evening in the first of four contests this Summer League for the Mavs.
Summer League may hardly be the highlight of this month for the Mavericks when you take into consideration that they just signed Klay Thompson, but that doesn't mean that the Mavericks can't find some talent in the cracks that could potentially help out their roster this coming season.
Just last year, Mavericks rookie sensation Dereck Lively II played for Dallas' Summer League team and then went on to play an integral role in Dallas' run to the NBA Finals, so Mavericks fans can get excited at the potential possibility of that happening with someone from this Summer League roster.
5 Players on Mavericks Summer League team that could make regular season roster
Summer League isn't a tell-all sign for how a player's entire career is going to fare out, but it certainly is a setting that can give fans an idea of how certain young players could look like in an NBA rotation once their skills develop further.
So without further ado, here are 5 players on the Mavericks Summer League team that could make their regular season 15-man roster or land a two-way spot.
5. Alex Fudge
After only playing in two games for the Dallas Mavericks on a two-way contract last season, Alex Fudge is one of the more unknown quantities for the Dallas Mavericks heading into this Summer League. At 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot wingspan, Fudge has the length and verticality to be an elite defender one day, but he needs to put on more size to consistently defend wings and bigs at an NBA level since he’s only 200 pounds.
Fudge flashed a solid 3-point stroke in his two games with the Mavericks at the end of the regular season, but he only shot a mere 21.4 percent on 3-pointers in 27 games played in the G-League this past season.
Fudge has a decent handle and solid coordination with the ball in his hands for someone his size, but by no means is he a polished enough shot-creator to take on a lead ball-handling role, even in Summer League most likely. At 21 years old and heading into his second year in the NBA after two collegiate seasons at Penn State and the University of Florida, Fudge is an extremely raw prospect, but his athleticism and spurts of aggression on drives should bode well for this Mavericks Summer League team.
If Fudge improves his shot and proves he can hang at the NBA level from a strength perspective during this Summer League, he could very well play himself into a guaranteed contract with the Mavericks before the beginning of next season, but he has a lot to prove if he wants to reach that feat.