3 studs, 2 duds from Mavericks Summer League win over Pacers

The Dallas Mavericks have enjoyed a solid Summer League stint. While they weren’t able to make the playoffs, they went 3-1 and have gotten a great feel for some of the young talent set to be on the roster next year.

In their latest contest on Friday night, the Mavericks took on the Indiana Pacers, earning their third win of Summer League by a score of 112-91.

It was a dominant win for the Mavericks, as they won three of the four quarters (and tied the third quarter 31-31). They were red-hot from the field and looked like the better team by far.

But before we get into the studs and duds of the contest, let’s go over a few honorable mentions who, unfortunately, won’t be able to make this list.

Honorable mention: Mavericks rookies

It’s official: The Mavericks’ rookies have graduated from the “Studs” list, as they are simply too good compared to the rest of the players on the team. Dallas’ 2023 rookie class is set to make an impact from the jump.

Against the Pacers, Olivier-Maxence Prosper put up 18 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal while shooting 7-of-12 from the floor.

Meanwhile, Dereck Lively II finished the game with nine points, eight rebounds, two assists, and one block while shooting 3-of-8 from the floor.

Both were extremely impactful on the defensive side of the ball and made it clear why the Mavericks selected them in the 2023 NBA Draft.

With all that in mind, let’s take a look at the studs and duds from the Mavericks’ dominant win over the Pacers.

1. Stud - Taze Moore

A 25-year-old guard who spent this past season playing for the Texas Legends, the Dallas Mavericks G League team, Taze Moore makes an impact with his energy and constant hustle.

While his stats rarely jump off the page, Moore is always able to make an impact on the court, and that’s exactly what he did for Dallas in their game against the Indiana Pacers.

The 6-foot-5 guard finished the game with six points, eight rebounds, three assists, and one steal while shooting 3-of-6 from the floor and 0-of-1 from behind the three-point line.

Moore isn’t the best shooter, but he does a lot of other things well, always making sure to run 1000 miles per hour at all times, showing off his energy.

In addition, Moore is super athletic, making him an adept cutter who is also able to drive to the hoop with a ton of success. And with his ability to pass, he’s also able to create chances for his teammates.

He combines his athleticism and energy to dominate the glass, too, which he did with great success against the Pacers, giving the Mavericks a nice boost.

The Mavericks may not have a ton of open spots, but Moore could be worthy of consideration for a two-way spot next year.

2. Dud - Jaden Hardy

This isn’t really a dud, but instead, a space to talk about Jaden Hardy’s Summer League stint and the injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the event.

According to long-time NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks have decided to shut down Hardy for the rest of Summer League, as he sustained an injury in a recent contest.

Stein reported that Hardy endured a left shoulder contusion on Wednesday in the Mavericks’ game against the Golden State Warriors. Luckily, Stein also noted that the injury is not considered serious.

Before going down, Hardy was having a fairly promising Summer League stint as the Mavericks’ go-to guy on offense, but one glaring weakness presented itself - efficiency.

While he managed to average an impressive 23.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks, Hardy shot just 35.2% from the field and 24.1% from behind the three-point arc.

Obviously, Hardy’s shot quality was much lower than what it will be in the regular season, as he was the focal point of Dallas’ offense, but to see him struggle with efficiency as much as he did was still unfortunate.

If he wants to be a mainstay in the Mavericks rotation next year, he’ll need to ensure that he remains efficient.

3. Stud - Jordan “Jelly” Walker

After a rough game in the Dallas Mavericks’ second Summer League game that landed him on the “Duds” list, Jordan “Jelly” Walker entered Friday night’s game looking to improve.

And luckily for Dallas, Walker did just that, looking like the Mavericks’ best player for large portions of the game. He was the focal point of Dallas’ offense, scoring efficiently and making plays for his teammates.

The 5-foot-11 guard may not have the height to make him pop off the page, but he more than makes up for that with his quickness and shiftiness.

In the Mavericks’ game against the Pacers, Walker finished the contest with 21 points, one rebound, eight assists, and two steals while shooting 7-of-18 from the field and 5-of-11 from behind the three-point arc.

Walker displayed an impressive variety of moves as he looked like the best player on the court, cooking every single defender the Pacers put in front of him.

After the draft, the Mavericks signed Walker to a contract, but it remains unclear what type of contract he signed.

With the amount of guard depth the Mavericks have on the roster, it’s hard to imagine that Walker receives regular minutes, but he could be a very fun player to watch in the G League.

2. Dud - Brandon Randolph

At 25 years old, Brandon Randolph is currently playing in his third year of Summer League after spending the past two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves’ and Milwaukee Bucks’ Summer League squads,r respectively.

This past year, he spent time in the G League with the Austin Spurs and Wisconsin Herd, finding the most success with the Spurs.

In his first few appearances for the Mavericks’ Summer League squad this summer, Randolph showed off his athleticism by dominating in transition, but he didn’t play particularly well against the Pacers.

Against Indiana, Randolph finished the game with six points, four rebounds, and two assists on 2-of-8 shooting from the field and 1-of-4 shooting from behind the three-point arc.

Randolph isn’t the type of player whose box score is a great indicator of his impact, but the fact that he hasn’t been able to find success from behind the arc is disappointing.

If Randolph wants to make an impact at the NBA level, his three-point shot will need to improve, but he wasn’t able to show off said improvement throughout Summer League.

The 6-foot-6 wing is a solid player with great athleticism, but with an unreliable shot, it seems unlikely that he earns a chance with Dallas.

1. Stud - AJ Lawson

The Dallas Mavericks have already locked up AJ Lawson on a two-way contract heading into next season, and he’s making their decision to retain him look amazing.

On a team full of elite athletes, as that is seemingly the archetype the Mavericks were targeting heading into Summer League, the springy, 6-foot-6 wing has stood out among the rest.

Lawson’s athleticism somehow jumped off the page on a team with a ton of other athletes, such as Brandon Randolph, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and Dereck Lively II. This was highlighted by an incredible slam against the Indiana Pacers.

In Dallas’ game against Indiana, Lawson finished the night with a game-high 24 points to go along with four rebounds and two steals. Lawson shot 10-of-12 from the field and 2-of-3 from behind the three-point line.

The most impressive stat of that group, however, isn’t the point total - it’s the three-point efficiency. Three-point shooting has been the weakness of Lawson’s game, but he showed a little improvement against Indiana.

If Lawson can develop a consistent three-point shot and continue to display the athleticism and energy he showed against the Pacers (and throughout all of Summer League), he could be an intriguing player for the Mavericks to keep ahold of moving forward.