Mavs EXCLUSIVE: Taze Moore Speaks on NBA Journey, Strong Summer League
DALLAS — While a lot of attention in Summer League is placed on getting a first-look at top rookies from the draft entering the NBA, it can also serve as a prime opportunity for an undrafted player to earn a contract with a team. Taze Moore, who averaged 7.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists with the Dallas Mavericks in Las Vegas, was among those players.
Moore earned an Exhibit 10 contract with the Mavs after his strong Summer League play, which means he'll be partaking in Mavs training camp in September. It's the latest achievement for a player who has overcome significant adversity to get to this point. During his time at Cal State Bakersfield, he broke his tibia and fibula, resulting in him having a strenuous recovery that spanned 634 days.
"I didn't want to play basketball no more after my last surgery," Moore said. "The coach kind of took me into the gym and made me do a lot of form shooting in the chair until I wanted to be there. And then it just kind of got back to me."
While earning an NBA contract would mean a lot to any player, it might mean more for someone who overcame such a major obstacle like Moore. "It'd mean everything," Moore said of potentially receiving a real NBA contract.
"I've been working for that since I started playing basketball, transferring from football to basketball, and I think it'll be just be a good accomplishment for myself knowing that I've been through a lot of injuries and things like that off the court," Moore explained.
Moore, who went undrafted in 2022, played the 2022-23 season primarily with the Texas Legends. In 24 appearances, he averaged 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 33.5 minutes per game. In Las Vegas, he filled a complementary role, doing the dirty work and showing off his impressive athleticism, and although he's not necessarily a go-to offensive guy, he has shown his scoring ability throughout his basketball career.
"I'm not really a well known guy like that, and I'm kind of cool with that," Moore said. "I'm a defensive guy, but when I was at Bakersfield, I kind of had a team where I had to be an offensive threat and things like that.
"So I can just be anything you want me to be when you want me to be that," Moore explained. "I can score. If you need me to score, I score. If you don't, I won't."
After hearing Moore describe how he focuses on making his impact, it sounded similar to the impact that Bruce Brown provided to the Denver Nuggets last season. Despite being 6-foot-4, Brown added defensive versatility, shooting, short-roll playmaking, and embraced doing the dirty work. When asked about that comparison, the 6-foot-5 Moore acknowledged that Brown is actually among the top players he studies when improving his game.
"[Bruce Brown] is one of my new-age favorite players to watch right now," Moore said. "Him and Mikal Bridges in a way."
Moore's basketball journey has called on him to fill a wide range of roles. He believes it's something that would enable him to fill a spot on any roster in addition to making a genuine impact when his number is called. No matter his role, he's focused on making an impact with his athleticism.
"I think that's just the best part of my game, playing in transition, being fast and running," Moore said. "Using my athletic ability to beat guys to the rim and things like that."
"I played every position ever kind of from the one through the seven, through the 15 role," Moore explained. "I kind of just been everywhere, so honestly just putting me in different spots and letting me play within those roles, I think that's a big attribute to my game."
With the remainder of this offseason, Moore wants to continue to work on his shooting, but emphasizes keeping his effort level firing on all cylinders in all phases of his game. He runs at least two miles per day so he can maintain his edge, knowing that hustle and defense are two main things NBA teams want – especially the Mavs, who are led by offensive savants in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
"I just want to keep working on shooting, keep working on my defensive motor just running and things like that. I try to run two miles at least every day. Just try to keep my motor and keep my defensive ability, because I know that'll get me on these teams and not my offense," Moore said.
"We have Luka [Doncic] and Kyrie [Irving], so they are not going to need me to score too much. So just fitting in where I need to be."
Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).
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