3 studs, 2 duds from Mavericks Summer League opener vs. Thunder

The Dallas Mavericks opened up their Summer League slate on Saturday afternoon with a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to walk away victorious.

Dallas dropped the game to Oklahoma City, 91-80, starting their campaign with a tough loss to a very good Thunder Summer League squad, who is led by Chet Holmgren.

Holmgren was the second pick in the 2022 NBA Draft but missed the entirety of this past season with an injury. Now, he’s set to tackle his first year in the NBA with very high expectations.

The 21-year-old rookie finished the game with 16 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two blocks while shooting 5-of-10 from the floor and 1-of-4 from beyond the arc.

That being said, it was rookie Cason Wallace who stole the show for the Thunder. The youngster finished the night with 20 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals on 7-of-15 shooting from the field and 6-of-10 shooting from behind the three-point line.

The Mavericks had their fair share of solid performers, too, but they also had some players who struggled to find their footing in their Summer League debuts.

With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the way next year, Dallas has taken this offseason to balance the roster and put solid pieces around their core group.

Summer League will provide the team with an opportunity to identify young talent and find guys who could be solid developmental projects or, in an ideal world, Day 1 contributors.

With all that in mind, let’s take a look at three studs and two duds from the Mavericks’ first Summer League game.

5. Stud - AJ Lawson

In the Dallas Mavericks game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, AJ Lawson made sure to leave an impact, though it wasn’t one that would easily be detected by reading the box score.

Against the Thunder, Lawson finished the game with 11 points, four rebounds, one assist, and three steals, but he shot just 4-of-9 from the field and 1-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc.

While his shooting percentages weren’t ideal, Lawson flashed some serious athleticism and quickness against Oklahoma City, both of which could be useful skills at the NBA level.

He has the potential to be a solid cutter and a menace in transition, and his length allows him to be fairly effective on the defensive side of the ball, too.

Lawson is a 22-year-old guard/forward who spent this past season with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks, playing one game with the former and 14 with the latter.

In addition, Lawson spent time in the G League this past year, playing in nine games with the Texas Legends, averaging 20.1 points per contest.

If Lawson hopes to earn regular minutes at the NBA level, he’ll need to develop a more consistent three-point shot, but the athleticism and energy he flashed in this first game were enough to raise some eyebrows.

4. Dud - McKinley Wright IV

Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, McKinley Wright IV got the start for the Dallas Mavericks at one of their guard spots, and he tied for the third-most minutes on the team with 21:02.

Unfortunately, his production didn’t quite live up to the standard one would expect from a starter. And while it’s just Summer League, Dallas probably would have wanted more from a guy with some NBA experience.

Wright ended the afternoon with four points, two rebounds, four assists, and one steal while shooting 2-of-6 from the field and 0-of-2 from behind the three-point line. He also turned the ball over four times.

It wasn’t a world-ending performance from Wright, but for a guy that played in 27 games for the Mavericks this past season, a bit more could have been expected.

The 24-year-old guard is always good for some solid defense, but as is the case with most players, it’s the three-point shot that could be the decider as to whether or not Wright gets regular minutes.

His four assists were solid, too, but when they are paired with four turnovers, it diminishes how impressive the playmaking display could have been.

Again, Wright wasn’t downright awful, but Mavericks fans might have wanted to see a bit more from him.

3. Stud - Derck Lively II

Based on the stat sheet, Dereck Lively II had a relatively average game. Some could even say it was disappointing for the 12th overall pick, considering the hype surrounding him as one of the better big men in the class.

Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lively finished the afternoon with four points, five rebounds, and one steal. He only played 16:29, had four personal fouls, and shot just 1-of-2 from the field.

During his time at Duke, Lively was never a great offensive player, and Mavericks fans got a taste of why in his first Summer League performance, but that’s not why they drafted him.

Dallas drafted Lively for his defense.

Lively didn’t record any blocks against the Thunder, but his defense was just fun to watch. His giant presence in the paint and great awareness stood out, as did his athleticism.

This past season, the Mavericks’ defense was rough, and it was one of the main things they needed to address this summer. They did this by drafting Lively and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

Lively is just 19 years old and will have plenty of chances to show off his skillset throughout Summer League and preseason. He’s a guy who should be able to make an impact in Dallas from the jump.

2. Dud - Chris Silva

One of the oldest players on the Dallas Mavericks Summer League squad, Chris Silva had a very underwhelming first game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The big man played 16:33 off the bench for the Mavericks, acting as their go-to backup big man on the night behind Dereck Lively II (though they played a lot of small ball throughout the afternoon).

Silva finished the game with two points, six rebounds, one assist, and one block while shooting 1-of-4 from the floor. He turned the ball over three times and had two personal fouls.

It was a very rough night for Silva, who struggled to find his footing for most of the night, but it was just one game, and the Mavericks had him on the roster this past season for a small stint.

The 26-year-old appeared in one game for Dallas this past year, but he appeared in 22 games for the College Park Skyhawks - the Atlanta Hawks G League squad.

He played fairly well while in the G League, but as the Mavericks look to reshape their center position, it’s hard to picture Silva earning a roster spot in any capacity, especially with guys like Dereck Lively, Richaun Holmes, and Maxi Kleber already in place.

1. Stud - Jaden Hardy

Heading into Summer League, most Dallas Mavericks fans had their eyes on one guy - Jaden Hardy. Obviously, fans wanted to take a look at rookies Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper, but this was set to be Hardy’s time to shine.

And in Dallas’ first game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Hardy showed out. He may not have been the most efficient player on the court, but he absolutely put on a show.

Hardy finished the afternoon with a game-high 24 points to go along with six rebounds, one assists, two steals, and three turnovers. He shot 8-of-18 from the floor and 4-of-12 from behind the three-point arc.

As noted, the efficiency could have been better, but heading into Summer League, head coach Jared Dudley said that Hardy would get roughly 20 shots per game, and the point guard nearly reached that mark.

Next season, Hardy is slated to take on a larger rotational role off the bench behind Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. He could end up being their primary guard off the bench alongside Seth Curry.

He has the potential to be an electric scorer off the bench for the Mavericks, and in his first game against the Thunder, he looked the part.