Getty Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks watches closing seconds of game against the San Antonio Spurs with Mark Cuban on his right at AT&T Center on April 10, 2019 in San Antonio, Texas.
The Mavericks won their lottery pick last year in Luka Doncic. It just took some resources to get the Slovenian to Dallas. They sent last year’s No. 5 pick Trae Young to Atlanta in exchange for the 6-foot-7 forward, while also getting rid of this year’s first-round choice.
The Hawks, therefore, got the No. 8 pick after Tuesday’s NBA Draft lottery. They will pair that with another high pick in the No. 10 slot. What does this mean for Dallas’ offseason prospects?
It means just one selection with the No. 37 spot in the second round. Let’s take a look at what to expect from Dallas in the draft.
2nd Round, No. 37 Pick: Darius Bazley, USA
The second round is a great place to take a flier on a developmental project. Bazley definitely fits the bill considering his background. The 6-foot-9, 200-pound small forward originally opted to go straight to the G-League out of high school, but instead decided to train on his own for a full season.
He eventually signed with LeBron James’ Klutch Sports, making him ineligible for NCAA play. This did a number on his stock, as he was the 18th overall prosepct on Jonathan Givony of ESPN’s Big Board in June 2018.
The talent is clearly there. The Ohio native was a McDonald’s All-American and a consensus 5-star coming out of Princeton High School. Jeremy Woo of SI.com isn’t terribly impressed.
Bazley made headlines with a string of decisions that led him out of his commitment to Syracuse and his plans to play in the G League, instead accepting a year-long paid internship with New Balance as he works out and angles for a spot in the draft. Scouts were less than impressed with his showings at All-American practices and the Nike Skills Academy last year, and there’s some legitimate long-term concern here given his lack of an offensive skill set. Bazley will likely be drafted, but he’ll have to give teams a more legitimate sense of what he can be going forward in his workouts. He continues to train for the draft in private.
Why go for him then? Dallas already has plenty in the backcourt between Trey Burke, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway, Jr. Doncic is a legitimate future star on the wing. Should Kristaps Porzingis figure out his personal life, he’s an excellent interior presence that should remind folks of Dirk Nowitzki.
What the roster lacks is an athletic wing that can fill multiple roles. Doncic is clearly a scorer first, while Bazley’s length could present an immediate defensive specialist. With some tutelage, the body could be calibrated into an effective scorer that shoots over smaller defenders and bullies his way into the lane.
This is a total projection, but with a second-round pick, it’s a risk worth taking.