Draft Profile: Does Wendell Moore Jr. Fit Mavs' Mold?
With the NBA Draft less than two weeks away, many teams are starting to gather thoughts and create plans on how to best improve their rosters. Whether it be a big, rebounding center, or an athletic wing, there are several different, intriguing prospects in this year's class.
Duke forward Wendell Moore Jr. has his fair share of impressive aspects that should draw the eyes of several team executives. He is currently ranked 25th on CBSSports.com's ranking of the top 100 prospects in this year's draft. The Dallas Mavericks, who own a pick for the first time since 2020, are contemplating whether to keep the 26th pick, or trade it away to improve their roster.
However, Dallas could still improve its roster by keeping its pick if Moore Jr. is still available at No. 26. He improved on his scoring all three years that he played at Duke. This past season, he averaged 13.4 points per game. He also shot an excellent percentage from beyond the arc at a 41.3 percent clip.
One of the things the Mavericks have committed to is finding solid perimeter shooting to play off of Luka Doncic. With Moore Jr shooting at that high of a percentage, he could prove to be another consistent shooting option – something the Mavs definitely could've used as they ran out of gas against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
Moore Jr. also averaged over one steal per game. The Mavericks made a name for themselves in this year's playoffs with their big, athletic 3-and-D wings. Dorian Finney-Smith likely isn't going anywhere anytime soon after signing a four-year, $55 million extension earlier this year, but he will be a highly sought after trade piece if the Mavs ever have the opportunity to get into trade talks for a star player. If and when that time comes, Moore Jr. could potentially fill that void. The Mavericks have expressed that they are not interested in moving Finney-Smith, but it never hurts to add young depth for future reference.
The other intangible quality that Wendell Moore Jr. possesses is that he was able to learn under the tutelage of legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. Krzyzewski is a guy who demands the best from his players. When determining all the pros and cons to potentially drafting Moore Jr., being a Coach K disciple gets put firmly into the pro section.
Overall, Moore Jr. would fit in nicely with Dallas if he's available at No. 26. However, as talented as he is, there's a good chance he gets snatched up before then. We'll see how things unfold on June 23 when the draft commences at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
