McKinley Wright IV EXCLUSIVE: Mavs Guard Has Patrick Beverley Mentality
In this story:
The Dallas Mavericks have received intriguing play from two-way signee McKinley Wright IV, both from his time with the organization's G League affiliate — the Texas Legends — and when playing with the main club.
After spending most of his rookie season last year with the Minnesota Timberwolves G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, Wright has made major strides in his development. His time with the Legends shows a player who can initiate half-court offense with a stabilizing presence with an improving talent for scoring. He's averaged 19.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 7.1 assists in 15 games played.
"It's been a great learning experience for me (both with the Legends and Mavs)," Wright told DallasBasketball.com when asked about his 2022-23 campaign so far. "I was in the G League last year with the Iowa Wolves on a two-way with Minnesota, so I know what it's like to be in that position. This year and last year have been huge learning experiences for me."
From training camp to practice time with the Mavs, Wright attributes the experience of playing with Luka Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie among other veterans as being helpful in establishing himself in his sophomore campaign.
"With the Mavs, I'm just learning from my guys every day," Wright said. "The opportunity to play with these guys is special, being on the court with Luka, Spencer Dinwiddie was a Buff, Reggie, Doe, Josh Green, they're helping me to establish myself and learn the game better than I know. Overall, it's been a big blessing for me."
In terms of a specific lesson that Wright received from his veteran counterparts is the message of not overthinking the game. He felt as though he was prone to over-analyzing the game prior to this season, but it's something that he's been able to improve.
"Just be yourself," Wright said of lessons he's learned from his veteran teammates. "My big thing coming in, I overthought the game lot. At the end of the day, those guys remind me to just play hard. They remind me that we've been doing this our whole life. Don't try to make the game more difficult than it has to be. Do the things that you do that got you here."
A particular attribute that stands out when watching Wright play is his dedication to being a pest when guarding the ball. He explained that he has always taken pride in that part of his game and it's something that's especially important to do in the NBA as an undersized guard.
"That's something I've done my whole life," Wright said of his aggressive brand of on-ball defense. "If you ask any one of my coaches growing up, I've always been the primary ball defender. I always try to defend the best player. It's a little different in this league — the better players are a lot bigger. For example, I wouldn't be on Jayson Tatum so to speak. When it comes to guards, I try to be a pest and try to hound people.
"I'm an undersized guard, so for me to succeed in this league, those are things that I have to do. It's something I've enjoyed to do my life."
In terms of the inspiration behind Wright's defensive approach, he studied Patrick Beverley, particularly in areas like holding a defensive base along with making strategic swipes at the basketball. By spending time with the Timberwolves organization, Wright was actually able to learn directly from Beverley, describing him as being "like a big brother."
"I've watched a lot of Pat Bev," Wright said, when asked about who he's modeled his defensive game after. "He was my mentor last year in Minnesota, like a big brother to me. He's made a living off of defending. Tony Allen, guys like that. I would say Pat Bev has been the guy I've watched the most. Just how he holds his base, the way he swipes at the ball to knock the player's shots off, things like that."
The aggressive defensive style that Wright plays is something that Mavs coach Jason Kidd appreciates, among other aspects of his game. Wright views the presence of having a Hall of Fame point guard as a coach as being especially vital to his ongoing development.
"Just to keep defending the ball," Wright said of what Kidd tells him. "He talks to me a lot. I hear him when I'm pressing up at half-court. He tells me that I'm by myself. He speaks good things. He tells me to be aggressive and to shoot the ball when I'm open. Make plays for others and to push the pace. Having J-Kidd as a PG, one of the best ever to do it is a huge plus for me in my development. Our relationship has continued to grow and I'm learning more and more from him every day."
In speaking of development, Wright has made it a focus to become less tentative when he's on the court this season. He felt that was a weakness of his that limited his impact during his rookie campaign. After having a full season to gain experience and watch film, he feels as though the game has slowed down for him and he wants to use that to become a "better leader" and a "better floor general."
"Last year on my deal with Minnesota, I was a little more tentative," Wright said regarding how he's improved this season. "Didn't kind of necessarily know what to do when I was out on the court. This year, I've been more poised. The game has slowed down for me after watching film and having a year under my belt. Just becoming a better leader and a better floor general. Those are things that I've gotten better at and that I'm continuing to try to get better at."
On Friday, the Mavs announced their decision to waive Kemba Walker. With the guarantee date for his $2.2 million veteran's minimum contract nearing, the team opted to go in a different direction. The decision to do so was partly made to leave a cleaner pathway to give minutes to Jaden Hardy and Wright.
Wright was very appreciated of the time he had with Walker as a teammate. He didn't take for granted the way that Walker was an ultimate professional when it came to mentorship as opposed to viewing Wright's presence as competition. Between continued support and pointers on finishing against bigs in the paint, the former All-Star offered a helpful presence.
"Kemba is a good dude," Wright said of Walker's time with the Mavs. "In the position I'm in and the position Kemba is in, a lot of days, people would have a little beef between those two guys competing for a roster spot on a team. Kemba was nothing but supportive for me. He helped me when they called my name ahead of his.”
Wright explained further: "He encouraged me, he clapped, he would say, 'Let's go.' Before the game, he would tell me, 'we need that energy today young fella.' He's just always giving me good pointers — showed me how to use my body when I'm finishing around bigger bigs at the rim. Just tells me to stay aggressive. Kemba has been nothing but great for me. Obviously, the organization had a decision to make, but Kemba has played a role in my development as well."
While it's never a positive experience to lose a teammate, the decision from the Mavs organization to create more opportunity for Wright serves as a confidence boost due to an indication of trust in his potential. He's appeared in nine games with the Mavs and has averaged 1.8 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 10.4 minutes per game. His opportunities have been limited so far, but again, there's a clearer pathway now.
"It gives you a boost of confidence," Wright said of the Mavs’ roster move. "It shows that what I've done so far has caught their attention. There's always room for improvement. I've got to continue to excel and do the things that I'm good at and continue to work on the things that I need to work on every day. It means a lot, in my opinion. It gives confidence in myself and trust throughout those in the organization. Just trying to continue to gain their trust and continue to get better and develop myself every day."
Now, with a more apparent trajectory to consistent opportunities with the Mavs, Wright understands that he needs to continue to improve as a 3-point shooter. He wants to emphasize being a more aggressive shooter when opportunities come his way with the goal of opening up his downhill game.
"I've got to continue to shoot the 3-ball. It's something I've put a ton of work in this offseason," Wright said, when asked about what he must improve as he looks ahead to the rest of the season. "I'm a good shooter, I've been told. My shot's good, I just have to stop overthinking it. When teams close short, just shoot the ball. That's been my problem — overthinking that aspect of the game instead of being aggressive and trusting my work by letting it fly.
Wright continued: "I just spent 30, 40 minutes repping out shots, reading closeouts if coach is closing shot or running me off the line. Just making different reads. I'm going to prove that I can shoot at this level, that I can play at this level. That's my biggest goal, to continue to prove to teams that I can shoot the three. Once I show teams that then it's going to be harder to guard me and allow me to get downhill."
Wright has spent plenty of time practicing and playing alongside promising rookie Jaden Hardy between their time with the Legends and Mavs. After moving on from Walker, there is an increasing chance we’ll see more situations where Hardy and Wright share the floor. Playing next to Hardy is something that Wright appreciates based on how their skill-sets mesh well together.
"Jaden's a high level scorer," Wright said of his rookie teammate. "When in the G League, he led the G League in scoring. My job was to get him shots in any way I can. Vice versa for him and me — he tells me to be aggressive when I've got the ball to score when they're doubling or something like that. For me, I've always been a pass first point guard to find my teammates and let the game come to me afterwards. That's something I've tried to do my entirely life. Having a scorer like Jaden makes my job much easier."
With Wright having unique insight into Hardy's development, he shared where he feels that Hardy has improved throughout his rookie campaign. After entering training camp as being mostly a scorer, Wright sees Hardy as having improved as a defender and as a playmaker.
"He's become a much better defender," Wright said of Hardy's development. "Coming into the season, when he first got here at training camp, you could tell that he's a flat out scorer. The coaches, they've known that obviously. He's become a much better defender. He's become a better playmaker.
Wright continued: "I think coming in from Ignite, he was all buckets, but now he's been able to find people, find cutters, slashers out of the pick-and-roll. I've seen a lot of development in our short time together so far."
The Mavs have the option of converting Wright's two-way contract into a standard NBA deal after creating a roster spot by waiving Walker. Doing so would create another two-way slot while making Wright eligible to participate in the upcoming playoffs.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here.
