Mavericks' unusual plan for rookie wing is poised to work out beautifully

When the Dallas Mavericks fell in the 2024 NBA Finals, the team had to shift their focus to the 2024 NBA Draft. At the draft, the Mavs only had one draft pick in the second round at 58th overall.

Instead of waiting to draft at 58, the Mavs traded up to select Melvin Anjinca with the 51st overall pick. Anjinca played the 2023-24 season for the Saint-Quentin BB team in the LNB Pro A league in France.

Anjinca had a golden opportunity to catch the eyes of the Mavericks organization to make the opening night roster or potentially snag a two-way spot if he performed well in Summer League. However, another option presented itself for the 51st overall pick.

Melvin Ajinca playing overseas to develop was a great move by Mavericks

With a disappointing start to Summer League, it was going to be better for Anjinca to play overseas to start the 2024-25 season. Anjinca isn't quite ready for the NBA level just yet, and he signed a contract with AVSEL Basket to stay overseas.

Drafting and stashing isn't super common in the NBA, but the Mavs are in win-now mode and have plenty of time before he needs to potentially join the rotation.

Anjinca struggled in the Mavs' Summer League win against the Celtics last Friday. Anjinca missed all five of his 3-point attempts, and his confidence appeared to be lacking at times.

General manager Nico Harrison did reveal the team's plans for Anjinca before free agency started. He said drafting and stashing was a possibility, and this possibility turned into a reality on Tuesday.

“The beauty of him being a European player, we have a lot of optionality, and I think both things are on the table," Harris said when talking about the potential of Ajinca playing overseas next season. "We don’t have a lot of roster spots available."

With Saint-Quentin BB, Anjinca averaged 9.3 points per game and played good defense. But, one area he struggled in was 3-point shooting where he shot 31 percent. The 3-point struggles have continued in Summer League as he was inefficient.

Letting Anjinca play overseas and have him work on his 3-point shooting so he can come back and be more NBA-ready will work out beautifully for the Mavs. The ability to have a 3-point shot in the NBA is crucial. Right now, Anjinca is struggling and needs to develop it more, although he does typically take tough shots and not all of his threes are off the catch.

Anjinca has the ability to dunk the basketball, get to the bucket, and finish, but the Mavs need more from Anjinca than driving to the rim.

Not making the opening night roster as a rookie could be disappointing for Anjinca, but he still has plenty of time to develop. There was optimism that Anjinca could make the roster as a rookie. But, with how his games went in Summer League, the best option for both the Mavs and Anjinca was clearly to have him play overseas.

It's important for Anjinca to have his confidence high so he can be more NBA-ready when he is done playing overseas. It's also not that likely that second-round draft picks make an NBA roster on opening night, so there is nothing to be discouraged about if you're a Mavericks fan.

He has time to develop his game overseas and morph into more of an NBA-ready prospect, and over the years he could become a valuable rotation piece in Dallas if his game develops at a steady rate.

The sky is the limit for this young wing.