Mavericks rookie vows to 'make it tough' on Timberwolves star in first preseason game

Noah Weber

2023 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot / Jamie Squire/GettyImages

When talking about the Dallas Mavericks, everyone's first thought goes to the star duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

They are the stars of the team, and the obvious leaders of this squad, but people's focus has started to shift recently.

Of course Luka and Kyrie are always going to be the main topics of conversation when someone is talking about the Mavs, but two Mavs rookies could take the league by storm this season.

Mavericks rookie vows to 'make it tough' on Timberwolves star in first preseason game

Dallas drafted Dereck Lively II with the No. 12 pick and later traded back into the first round to take Olivier-Maxence Prosper. The Mavs used the traded player exception from the original trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier that night and acquired the draft rights to Prosper and Richaun Holmes.

Both rookies will be starting during the early preseason, according to Mavs head coach Jason Kidd, and it seems that Prosper is ecstatic for Dallas' back-to-back matchups with the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 5 and 7 in Abu Dhabi.

When asked at Mavericks Media Day about the opportunity to guard Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards during the preseason, Prosper didn't hold back.

"I'm going to make his life hard," Prosper said when asked about guarding Edwards. "I don't care what he's done, I'm going to make it tough on him."

“I’m going to make his life hard.” - Olivier-Maxence Prosper on guarding Anthony Edwards in Abu Dhabi.#MFFL pic.twitter.com/DTGyYpYI0i
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) September 29, 2023

Edwards has become one of the best young guards in the NBA over his first three seasons, as he has averaged 21.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He has the talent to be an NBA star for a long time, and his performance during the FIBA World Cup with USA showed his massive improvement this summer.

Despite Edwards' massive improvement, Prosper doesn't seem to fear guarding him at all, and his comments at Media Day clearly illustrated that. It will be a massive test for the young rookie as his first defensive assignment in the NBA will likely be Edwards.

We'll have you covered with all the latest news on Olivier-Maxence Prosper and the Dallas Mavericks' matchups with Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in Abu Dhabi next week, so stay tuned.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.