5 Players on Mavericks Summer League team that could make regular season roster

2. A.J. Lawson

Now entering his third Summer League in a row with the Dallas Mavericks, this may be A.J. Lawson’s final opportunity to cement himself as a candidate to make Dallas’ final roster in October. Lawson is currently signed to a non-guaranteed multi-year contract with Dallas, though his spot on the Mavericks looks shaky going forward if reports are true about the Mavericks looking to sign another ball handler and re-sign Markieff Morris.

However, if Lawson has a strong Summer League outing, he could certainly make Dallas’ front office turn their heads on that decision. At 6-foot-6, Lawson is a high-energy point-of-attack defender with elite quickness and length at the shooting guard position, though questions over his 3-point shot and lack of elite strength have kept him from getting extended opportunities with the Mavericks. Lawson fared well when he got opportunities to see the court last season for Dallas, and he fits in well with Dallas’ notion of wanting to push the pace in transition more.

After revamping his shot mechanics last season, Lawson shot the 3-ball at a very up-and-down clip in limited minutes at the NBA level last season, so honing in on his consistency there will be huge if he wants to crack Dallas’ 15-man rotation next season. Lawson’s below-average strength is something that haunted him more on drives to the rim in the NBA compared to the G-League, and it was also something that drew attention from a defensive standpoint when he was matched up against bigger-bodied wings last season as well.

With that being said, Lawson has uncanny athleticism and potential at almost 24-years-old, and perhaps he needed just one more offseason to mold into the extra shooter and point-of-attack defender that the Mavericks could desperately use.

If Lawson proves to have an efficient Summer League on both sides of the ball, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dallas’ three-year project end up paying huge dividends for the team this coming season, even if he’s going to need to really stand out to warrant the opportunity.