Mavs Top Rookies to See Increased Minutes in Summer League
LAS VEGAS — Despite there being much anticipation about the Dallas Mavericks' new rookies playing a lot during their Summer League opener, Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper were on a minutes restriction. Both players were full participants in only one practice before Saturday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“That was the least of my concerns — those two,” Dudley said. “I thought they played well enough. Maybe if they weren’t on a minutes restriction it would have been different, because they would have played a lot more and I know they would have gotten better as time goes on.”
Lively played 16 minutes and finished with four points and five rebounds. Meanwhile, Prosper tallied seven points in 17 minutes. Both players are set to play more during Monday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, likely being in the 20-22 minutes range. As the team's Summer League schedules plays out, they could end up in the 24-26 minutes range.
“I expect it to be in the 20-22 (minutes) range, and then after that, the 24-26 range,” Dudley said.
By bringing the rookies along patiently, Dudley expects the game to come easier for them. It's still a process for the whole team to build chemistry and to lock in on the principles the team wants to utilize. There will be a greater emphasis for the guards to get downhill instead of settling for pull-ups, which should benefit Lively and Prosper.
“So, I expect them to be more comfortable on defense. I expect Lively to get a couple more easier buckets, because of the onus of what we put on the offense of making the right reads and decision-making and looking at these bigs for the lobs, and not just shooting pull-ups. But getting downhill and looking for the lob and corner (three-pointers). And for Omax, he was elite defensively, he made the right reads, he didn’t shoot any bad shots, so I expect him to have more production because he’s going to have more minutes.”
The Mavs intended to bring along Lively and Prosper gradually in what was described as a management decision. While the playing time was limited, Dudley was impressed with what he saw from both rookies.
“Only one practice is tough for them,” Dudley said. “But the good thing about this is, it’s summer league. But I thought they played well.
“If you look at their minutes when they were in there, Omax was phenomenal, (and) Lively controlled it. (Lively) caught a nice little lob. One or two finishes. He’ll finish it the next game. It’s the first time them getting really the chemistry and feel.”
“I thought they played well,” Dudley said. “Their minutes are going up here every single game now.”
Prosper recalled being on an NBA court for the first time as being a "great feeling" and found it as being a helpful learning experience. His takeaway was that Lively and him held their own despite having limited preparation.
“The first game out there, the first time being on an NBA court, it was a great feeling,” Prosper said. “Obviously it wasn’t the outcome we wanted as a team, but it was good to be out there and it’s good because you go game speed and I learned a lot my first game.
“After one practice I think Derek and I held our own and now it’s about building for tomorrow,” Prosper explained.
Prosper made clear that he's ready to take on more minutes, given he's not tired after playing Saturday's game. However, he understands the plan the organization has for their development and will be ready for whatever workload he receives.
“I didn’t feel tired the last game, so I feel good about increasing my minutes,” Prosper said. “(Dudley) told us before this past game that every game he’s going to ramp up our minutes.
“Because we only had one practice (before the OKC game), he wants to ramp us up gradually, but it’s good.”
By playing their first live game against NBA caliber competition, Prosper sees a major opportunity for improvement after adjusting to the quicker pace. However, the circumstances are not being used as an excuse.
“Most of those guys are sophomores in the league, and obviously they played with each other a long time, so it’s definitely an advantage for them,” Prosper said. “But it’s no excuse for us.
“We just got to do it, get together quicker and learn to play with each other on a quicker pace, and we’re going to do that. Having one game under our belt helps us. We know what we need to improve for the next game and we’re going to do that.”
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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