3 studs, 2 duds from Mavericks Summer League win over 76ers

After dropping their first game of Summer League to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Dallas Mavericks bounced back on Monday night, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in what ended up being a come-from-behind victory.

Philadelphia was up by as many as 18 points, but by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Mavericks had pulled things all the way back and were within striking distance.

In the fourth quarter, Dallas shot 12-of-19 (63.2%) from the field and 2-for-4 (50.0%) from behind the three-point line. Meanwhile, they held the 76ers to 5-of-16 (31.3%) shooting from the field and 1-for-7 (14.3%) from distance.

Dallas entered the final frame down 91-74 but ended up winning the contest by a score of 111-103. For those counting at home, that’s a 37-14 quarter in favor of the Mavericks.

It was an utterly dominant performance, but who were the standout performers? Once again, we have three studs and two duds from the game, but first, let’s look at some guys who didn’t make the list.

Jaden Hardy won’t be a stud on this list, though he probably should be. Hardy’s awesome fourth quarter helped bring the Mavericks back into the game, but he was brutal for the majority of the rest of the game.

His inefficiency was a part of the reason Dallas was down by a lot in the first place, but he picked things up, so he also avoids a place on the duds list.

McKinley Wright IV also won’t be making an appearance on the list. His scoring could have landed him on the studs list, but his tunnel vision could have landed him on the dud list. But he won’t be on either.

With all that in mind, let’s get to it. Here are three studs and two duds from the Mavericks’ Summer League win over the 76ers.

1. Stud - Dereck Lively II

Yeah, the hype is real. Dereck Lively II is going to be awesome for the Dallas Mavericks this season, and we’ve come to this conclusion after only two Summer League games.

Imagine how great Lively will be once he gets a few NBA games under his belt against big-league competition. Plus, he’ll be playing alongside Luka Doncic? Watch out, NBA.

If you hadn’t picked up on the vibe just yet, Lively was pretty great against the Philadelphia 76ers, despite not necessarily having the stat sheet to back up that claim. But that’s become his MO of sorts, as that was also the case at Duke.

Lively finished the game with eight points, 11 rebounds (four of which were offensive), and two assists while shooting 4-of-5 from the floor. But as has been the case with Lively thus far, the things that didn’t show up in the box score were most impressive.

His defensive instincts have been great, his athleticism is next-level, and for a guy whose offensive game wasn’t really there in college, he has great hands.

After another game of impressive play, and this time, with an increase in minutes (23:33), Mavericks fans should be getting overwhelmingly excited about Lively and his potential fit as the team’s starting center moving forward.

2. Dud - Three-point shooting

Alright, so this isn’t a player, but it needs to be on the list. This Dallas Mavericks Summer League squad simply doesn’t have many real three-point threats on the roster.

Jaden Hardy is a solid shooter, but he’s a volume guy, so his efficiency often sufferers, as it did against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. He shot 2-of-8 from distance.

Obviously, Dereck Lively II isn’t taking threes, and Olivier-Maxense Prosper isn’t the best shooter, either. He’s been cold, but he makes up for it with elite defense. (More on that soon.)

On top of that, Dallas filled out their roster with a ton of great athletes at the wing and forward positions, but none of them are particularly solid three-point shooters, which is tough at times.

AJ Lawson and Brandon Randolph are great athletes, and they made an impact against Philadelphia, but they combined to shoot 0-of-4 from distance. Braxton Key shot 1-of-1, but he’s not a three-point guy. The same goes for Taze Moore, who shot 1-of-2 but isn’t known for his shooting.

Jordan Walker shot 2-of-4, which gave the team a nice boost, and despite shooting 0-for-1, Mike MIles Jr. can shoot the ball, too. But that’s just not enough.

It’s Summer League, so it’s okay, but the shooting just isn’t there on this Dallas squad.

3. Stud - Olivier-Maxence Prosper

The Dallas Mavericks absolutely nailed this year’s draft class. As we already went over, Dereck Lively II looks like a beast, and the same can be said about Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

Similar to Lively, Prosper’s impact won’t always be adequately reflected in the box score, and this was one of those games, but anyone who watched or even paid a little bit of attention to Twitter knows how solid he was.

Prosper finished the contest with 10 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block while shooting just 2-of-8 from the field and 0-of-4 from distance.

Obviously, the Mavericks would like to see him improve his three-point shot, but there’s time for him to work on that. For now, fans should sit back and marvel at his defensive prowess.

The rookie has a knack for always being in the right place at the right time, whether it be positioning himself in front of a ball handler, staying in the perfect spot off the ball, or cutting off a potential fast break at the seams by nabbing a steal and throwing down an easy dunk.

Whether you look, Prosper is there on the defensive end. He’s an absolute menace with all the tools to be an All-Defensive-caliber player at the NBA level, which is exactly what the Mavericks need.

4. Dud - Chris Silva

It’s just not working. Chris Silva was a fine player on the Miami Heat, and Summer League head coach Jared Dudley actually spoke very highly of him heading into the event, but he’s been rough to watch at times.

Obviously, Silva is undersized at 6-foot-8, and while he has some athleticism, he doesn’t possess the necessary attributes to make being an undersized center work, such as Robert Williams’ freak athleticism or Draymond Green’s defensive IQ (when the Golden State Warriors play small ball).

He’s a decent athlete, and during his time with the Miami Heat a couple of seasons ago, he was a pretty solid rebounder, but he hasn’t been very good for the Dallas Mavericks this summer.

Against the Philadelphia 76ers, Silva put up five points and one rebound on 2-of-5 shooting from the field, but he only played 9:13, and all five of his points came in the first quarter.

It’s clear that Silva is trying out there, but he’s often out of position and looks like he’s fumbling around the court, and opposing centers are able to simply shoot over him or work around him.

With Dereck Lively II and a bunch of athletic forwards on the roster, it’s probably best for the Mavericks to leave Silva out of the rotation in favor of Lively or small-ball lineups.

5. Stud - Taze Moore

This guy had Twitter absolutely buzzing during the Dallas Mavericks’ game against the Philadelphia 76ers, and for good reason, too. Taze Moore looked great in this game.

The 6-foot-5 wing possesses great athleticism - which is a skillset that now seems like it was a prerequisite when applying for this Mavericks roster - and he uses it to his advantage.

Moore’s night was highlighted by an impressive putback slam which showed off this skill and had Mavericks fans on Twitter begging to have him on the squad on a two-way contract. At one point, he even threw a pretty lob pass to Dereck Lively II.

The 25-year-old finished the game with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one steal while shooting 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 shooting from beyond the three-point arc.

With his speed, athleticism, and general awareness on cuts, he could actually play a useful role on the Mavericks if he’d be willing to take on similar challenges to the Bruce Browns and Javonte Greens of the world.

Having Moore on the roster to set screens, cut to the rim and catch lobs, and hit the occasional three doesn’t sound like a bad idea heading into next year.

At the very least, his performance against the 76ers should have raised eyebrows in the Mavericks front office.