Predicting the Dallas Mavericks' Summer League stats leaders

The Dallas Mavericks kick off NBA Summer League on June 8 in Las Vegas at 2:30 p.m. CT. All eyes will be on the Mavs' newest additions, Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Additionally, fans will be thrilled to see Jaden Hardy's first game back after a compelling rookie season.

The two undrafted free agents, Mike Miles Jr. and Jordan "Jelly" Walker will surely look to make an impression as well. Both guards can score in bunches. Miles Jr. and Walker are coming off long, successful collegiate careers at TCU and UAB, respectively.

McKinley Wright IV and A.J. Lawson will look to make some noise in the Summer League after playing for the Mavs and their G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, last season. Wright IV will look to be a tone-setter, as he is the most established true point guard on the roster. Lawson might be the second-best scorer on the Mavs roster. Watch for Lawson to get plenty of shots up.

The rest of the roster is filled with undrafted free agents and NBA G-Leaguers. Chris Silva has the most experience on the team, as he has 70 career NBA games under his belt.

With the Mavs beginning play today, let's take a look at the projected depth chart and predict the stats leaders for six different categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and minutes per game. Finally, we'll predict the Mavs Summer League MVP.

Projected Depth Chart

Point guard: McKinley Wright IV, Mike Miles Jr., Jordan Walker

Shooting guard: Jaden Hardy, Taze Moore, Nike Sibande, Chandler Vaudrin

Small forward: A.J. Lawson, Myles Burns, Brandon Randolph

Power forward: Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Braxton Key, Marcus Bingham Jr.

Center: Dereck Lively II, Chris Silva, Kaodirichi Akobundo-Ehiogu

Predicting the Dallas Mavericks' Summer League points per game leader - Jaden Hardy

Jaden Hardy will lead the Mavs in points per game. Head Coach Jared Dudley has already made it clear that Hardy will be the go-to guy on offense. Dudley reportedly wants Hardy to take at least 18 to 20 shots per game.

Hardy is the most-established scorer on the squad and already has a vast offensive arsenal at 21 years old. He can get to the rim, score in the mid-range, and light it up from beyond the arc.

The second-year guard has already shown advanced patience when looking to score. Hardy can use his athleticism to throw it down over taller defenders or use change-of-pace to euro and side-step defenders at the rim.

Hardy's best attribute is his shot-making. He is comfortable scoring off-the-dribble and from a catch-and-shoot position. In the Summer League, look for Hardy to create a lot of shots using a wide array of moves.

Last season, Hardy averaged 8.8 points per game in the NBA and 28.8 points per game in the G-League.

Hardy's projected points per game: 23.5

Predicting the Dallas Mavericks' Summer League rebounds per game leader - Dereck Lively II

Whichever big plays the most minutes for the Mavs will be the rebounding leader. That big man should be the 12th overall pick Dereck Lively II, as he needs as many developmental reps as possible.

Lively II averaged 5.4 rebounds per game last year for the Duke Blue Devils. Although 5.4 rebounds per game may seem low, Lively II did so in only 20.6 minutes per game. As a high school senior, Lively II averaged 14 rebounds per game.

Look for Chris Silva to push Lively II for the Mavs rebounding leader. Silva will wind up averaging anywhere from 4 to 8 rebounds per game, depending on playing time. The former Gamecock averaged 9.3 rebounds per game last season playing for the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G-League.

Lively II's projected rebounds per game: 8

Predicting the Dallas Mavericks' Summer League assists per game leader - McKinley Wright IV

The Summer League isn't typically a setting where elite passing is showcased. However, the Mavs have a point guard who plays beyond his years.

McKinley Wright IV averaged seven assists per game last season for the Legends. In 27 appearances for the Mavs, the third-year guard averaged 2.1 assists per game in limited action. At the end of the regular season, Wright IV did get some extended playing time. During the last two regular season games, Wright IV put up 3 and 4 assists in back-to-back games.

Wright IV does have some potential challengers. Look for Hardy to take on an expanded role as a playmaker. However, Hardy will first look to shoot rather than pass. Wright IV will be the one consistently looking to find open teammates.

Wright IV's projected assists per game: 5.5

Predicting the Dallas Mavericks' Summer League steals per game leader - Myles Burns

Steals will come early and often in the Summer League. As summer play tends to be less organized, turnovers increase.

A player who might not get a ton of action has a good chance of leading the Mavs in steals. That player is Myles Burns. Last season, while playing for Ole Miss, Burns averaged an astounding 2.4 steals per game in 27 minutes worth of action.

Among the top-15 steals leaders in college basketball last season, Burns played the fewest minutes among them. Look for Burns to make noise defensively, even if he only gets about 10-15 minutes per game.

Burns' projected steals per game: 1.8

Predicting the Dallas Mavericks' Summer League blocks per game leader - Dereck Lively II

Blocks may be the most obvious stat to project other than points. Lively II should easily lead Dallas in blocks per game.

The former Blue Devil averaged 2.4 blocks per game in his lone season at Duke. Lively II used his 7-foot-1 frame and his gargantuan 7-foot-7 wingspan to wreak havoc on the interior.

It would feel like a slight to not mention Kaodirichi Akobundo-Ehiogu or "Kao" for short. Kao averaged a ridiculous 1.6 blocks per game in only 10.5 minutes of action last season at Memphis. Look for Kao to make a difference on the interior if he hits the floor this summer.

Lively II's projected blocks per game: 3

Predicting the Dallas Mavericks' Summer League minutes per game leader - Olivier-Maxence Prosper

Jaden Hardy is the most obvious answer to lead the Mavs in minutes per game, but we'll go a different route here. Instead, we'll turn our attention to rookie first-rounder Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

Prosper is versatile and capable of playing either forward spot, which gives him an advantage to more playing time. In addition, Prosper is a difference-maker without having to have the ball in his hands.

The former Golden Eagle is an adept cutter and opportunistic scorer on offense. On defense, he plays with relentless energy and can defend multiple positions. Prosper is a player that coaches will forget to sub out due to his high energy and willingness to make the right play.

Prosper will certainly be an entertaining player to watch. And Mavs fans should get a long look at O-Max this summer.

Prosper's projected minutes per game: 28

Predicting the Dallas Mavericks' Summer League MVP

The Mavs Summer League MVP will go to Jaden Hardy. Coming off the 2022 Summer League, where Hardy averaged 15 points per game, he left a lot of points on the table.

Hardy only shot 34.7% from the floor and 26.9% from three last summer. This time around, Hardy's confidence should be through the roof. He came off a season where he looked like a serviceable NBA player at only 20 years old. Which is something uncommon for a second-round draft pick.

After recording an effective field goal percentage of 53.3% in the NBA last season, Hardy looks to replicate his efficiency on a higher volume.

Hardy will get plenty of opportunities to score and facilitate. Even while playing alongside Wright IV, Hardy will be thrust into a playmaking role.

His ball-handling is already there, but his passing must take the next step. Playing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Hardy didn't have to do much facilitating. But the Mavs are looking for a third playmaker, and Hardy could easily be that guy next season.

A productive summer for Hardy would include improved passing and defense. Hardy has shown he can score and score efficiently. 20+ points for Hardy should come regardless. But averaging more than three assists would certainly be a step in the right direction for the 21-year-old guard.

Aside from his offense, Hardy has made it a focus to improve his defense this offseason. Watching Hardy defend will be fun from the start as the Mavs take on the Thunder on June 8. Hardy will either be tasked with defending 10th overall pick Cason Wallace or third-year guard Tre Mann, who has averaged 9 points per game throughout his career.

Hardy's projected stats: 23.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 48% FG, 40% 3PT