Best/Worst Draft Scenarios
(#21 pick)
Best Case Scenario: Drafting PG/SG Jerian Grant (Notre Dame, Senior)
With star PG Rajon Rondo hitting free agency and highly unlikely to return, the Mavericks at the very least need to add some depth at the point, and would likely need an instant contributor considering that franchise player PF Dirk Nowitzki is turning 37 years old. That would be Jerian Grant, perhaps the most NBA-ready player in the draft. He would fit perfectly in Dallas’ high-powered offense that features plenty of scorers, as Grant has excellent facilitating, vision, and passing abilities, averaging 6.7 assists per game this past season at Notre Dame. He lacks a lethal jumper, yet still averaged 1.6 triples per game in his four seasons with very high shooting percentages. Most of his scoring comes by slashing to the basket, where his athleticism and ability to draw contact and live at the free-throw line is second to none in this class. Perhaps his most important quality is his defense, where his tremendous length and size for his position make him a fantastic defender, as he averaged 1.9 steals per game over his final two collegiate years. Also a crafty ball-handler that rarely turns the ball over, Grant would be an absolute steal for Dallas at #21 while filling a need in the process.
Worst Case Scenario: Point Guards get a lot of love
Other than Houston, there’s really no team besides these two Texas teams that has an obvious need for a point guard. This could lead to Dallas nabbing Grant, the second-best point guard in the draft besides Cameron Payne (other than consensus top 5 selections D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay, of course). However, the key word there is obvious. That doesn’t mean that the teams drafting ahead of Dallas won’t take a point guard, forcing the Mavericks to start eating into their fallback stash consisting of PG/SG Delon Wright and PG Tyus Jones. Even worse, these teams could start eating into that floor general stash themselves if Payne and Grant are off the board early. It wouldn’t be all bad, however -- if teams start stacking up on point guards, then that leaves Dallas in prime position to get a steal at #21 on draft night at another position, if you follow. Really, the worse case scenario is getting either Wright or Jones forced upon them (always better to have a choice than only one being available) and nobody slides all the way to #21. Unfortunately for them, there are just enough teams picking ahead of the Mavericks to make that happen.
(#21 pick)
Best Case Scenario: Drafting PG/SG Jerian Grant (Notre Dame, Senior)
With star PG Rajon Rondo hitting free agency and highly unlikely to return, the Mavericks at the very least need to add some depth at the point, and would likely need an instant contributor considering that franchise player PF Dirk Nowitzki is turning 37 years old. That would be Jerian Grant, perhaps the most NBA-ready player in the draft. He would fit perfectly in Dallas’ high-powered offense that features plenty of scorers, as Grant has excellent facilitating, vision, and passing abilities, averaging 6.7 assists per game this past season at Notre Dame. He lacks a lethal jumper, yet still averaged 1.6 triples per game in his four seasons with very high shooting percentages. Most of his scoring comes by slashing to the basket, where his athleticism and ability to draw contact and live at the free-throw line is second to none in this class. Perhaps his most important quality is his defense, where his tremendous length and size for his position make him a fantastic defender, as he averaged 1.9 steals per game over his final two collegiate years. Also a crafty ball-handler that rarely turns the ball over, Grant would be an absolute steal for Dallas at #21 while filling a need in the process.
Worst Case Scenario: Point Guards get a lot of love
Other than Houston, there’s really no team besides these two Texas teams that has an obvious need for a point guard. This could lead to Dallas nabbing Grant, the second-best point guard in the draft besides Cameron Payne (other than consensus top 5 selections D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay, of course). However, the key word there is obvious. That doesn’t mean that the teams drafting ahead of Dallas won’t take a point guard, forcing the Mavericks to start eating into their fallback stash consisting of PG/SG Delon Wright and PG Tyus Jones. Even worse, these teams could start eating into that floor general stash themselves if Payne and Grant are off the board early. It wouldn’t be all bad, however -- if teams start stacking up on point guards, then that leaves Dallas in prime position to get a steal at #21 on draft night at another position, if you follow. Really, the worse case scenario is getting either Wright or Jones forced upon them (always better to have a choice than only one being available) and nobody slides all the way to #21. Unfortunately for them, there are just enough teams picking ahead of the Mavericks to make that happen.