Mavericks Draft: The Big Men
At the 46th overall pick, the options will be limited for Cuban and the Mavs. However, as mentioned in my previous post, if a team looks hard enough, they can find a serviceable player. In my opinion, big men are easier to make something out of nothing than guards purely based on their size and other intangibles.
For the Mavericks, their starting center, Zaza Pachulia, is now a free agent. Dirk Nowitzki is coming up on 38 years old and can't play the full 48 minutes. JaVale McGee may or may not be back depending on what the front office decides to do with his partially guaranteed contract. Dwight Powell, the soon to be third year man out of Stanford, proved himself valuable in limited playing time and could be easily overpaid by another team (although he is restricted). Charlie V may be retired by the start of next year. So, as of right now, the Mavericks' front court depth consists of Dirk and Salah Mejri. Free agency will obviously be Dallas' number one priority when it comes to filling in their roster, but the 46th pick could produce a very interesting big if the Mavs play their cards right. PS: I'm not examining any kind of draft-and-stash players (even though that's very possible).
C: Stephen Zimmerman
Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports
Chad Ford's Overall Rank: 40
DraftExpress Rank: 43
2015-16 College Statistics: 10.5 PPG, 8.7 REB, 2.0 BLK
Analysis: Zimmerman is a 7'0 center out of UNLV with a 7'3 wingspan. Just looking at his size makes him a very intriguing draft prospect, but there is a lot more to his game than just his size. The 19 year old has a 35 inch vertical to go with his outstanding length. His leaping ability isn't his only impressive athletic feat, he also runs the floor and rolls to the basket with incredible grace for a man of his size. Stephen also has a sweet stroke from mid-range, and with the touch he has, an NBA team could eventually push him out beyond the arc and make him a stretch four, while still finishing strong around the rim. Zimmerman won't push a bigger man out of the post with his box outs, but he is aggressive on the glass and makes sure to go up and over players to get the rebound. While he averages nearly 9 boards per game (averages a 27 minutes played), he averages nearly 13 per 40 minutes played. At 19 years old, it would be tough for the Mavericks to plug him into the rotation any time soon, especially with Rick Carlisle as the coach. Even though he swats 2 blocks per game, the UNLV freshman lacks the fundamentals on defense such as his awareness when it comes to cutters and biting on pump fakes. While many of the draftees that will come this low in the draft will likely spend a lot of time in the NBA Development League, Zimmerman would probably spend even more there because of his age, especially if the win-now Mavericks took him. The kid could really be a nice role player in this league off the bench, but it would take some patience, something the Mavs are known to have very little of when it comes to rookies. That being said, a young 7 foot white guy that can shoot... sound familiar?
PF: Robert Carter Jr.
Chad Ford's Overall Rank: 51
DraftExpress Rank: 46
2015-16 College Statistics: 12.3 PPG, 6.9 REB, 1.3 BLK
Analysis: I really like Robert Carter for the Mavs. After transferring from Georgia Tech his sophomore season, Carter became a very prominent piece in Maryland's offense. At 6'9, 251 pounds, the junior can really bully people in the paint. Even though 6'9 is a tad undersized for a center, or even power forward in today's game, Carter has a wingspan of 7'3 that allows him to play bigger than he is. One thing that really stands out about Robert's game, especially at his size, is his three point shooting. The former Terrapin could step well beyond the three point line and knock down the three at an average of 33%. 251 pounds can really be an advantage and disadvantage for Carter; while it allows him to play a strong back to the basket game, box out smaller opponents, and play strong low post defense, it hinders his explosiveness and leads to some conditioning problems. Robert Carter made it a point to prove that his conditioning really has improved in a recent video with DraftExpress. At 22 years old, his upside is limited, however, his older age likely comes as a positive facet to Carter with the Mavs. A guy who isn't afraid to mix it up in the middle at the four spot would be a nice change of pace from Dirk's outside game from time to time. Don't be surprised if Robert Carter Jr is Dallas' pick this summer.
PF: Perry Ellis
Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Chad Ford's Overall Rank: 69
DraftExpress Rank: 68
2015-16 College Statistics: 16.9 PPG, 5.8 REB, 0.5 BLK
Analysis: Ellis, a 4 year senior from the basketball power house that is Kansas, has been deemed Mr. Consistency after leading the Jay Hawks to the NCAA tournament year after year. Although he looks about 35 (Perry, if you're reading this, no hard feelings), Ellis is 22 and this makes him an excellent candidate to 1) fall to the second round and 2) become a role player in the Mavs rotation in a short amount of time. Ellis is extremely fundamentally sound; there's nothing particularly flashy about his game, but he gets the job done. Many NBA scouts didn't expect to be very impressed by the big man in the combine, but he proved them wrong. Ellis was listed at 6'8, 220 pounds with a 6'10 wingspan. The most impressive part of Ellis' combine? His 38 inch vertical. Although he didn't take many, Perry shot 44% from behind the three point line on a, you guessed it, consistent basis. Teams in this draft will be quick to shy away from the big man because they believe he has reached his full potential. This may be true, but if 17 points and 6 boards per game is his full potential, then I am more than okay with that in the middle of the second round. He needs to beef up if he really wants to hang with the bigger power forwards that will come in the NBA, but a good training staff can make that happen relatively easily with a good athlete who is willing to put the work in. Ellis hasn't quite found whether he's going to play the 4 or a smaller 5 in the NBA, but on the right team, he should be playing in the backup 4 slot. I like Ellis a lot, but if the Mavs don't decide to take him, there's a chance they could pick him up in the undrafted pool afterwards.
PF/C: Shawn Long
Chad Ford's Overall Rank: 87
DraftExpress Rank: 84
2015-16 College Statistics: 18.9 PPG, 12.1 REB, 1.8 BLK
Analysis: A true sleeper in this draft. At 6'10, 245 pounds with a 7'2 wingspan, Long lives up to his last name (lol I thought this was funny, probably wasn't). Long is an excellent shot blocker, and arguably the best defender that we've looked at among these four possible draft targets for Dallas. His offensive game is very much back to the basket, but his face-up game is extremely impressive as well. His three point percentage took a pretty dramatic dip from 42% in his sophomore year, down to 27% his senior year, but the sweet shooting form is still there and can easily be rejuvenated. Dallas pulled down 43.1 rebounds per game this past season, putting them at 19th in the league at doing so. If the former Ragin' Cajun were to grab anywhere close to 12 boards per game, that would instantly bump the Mavericks up. Long lacks some quickness and his game is going to need a lot of polishing, but I truly believe anyone that grabs him below the 45th spot (hint hint the Mavs are 46th), will be getting a steal in a year or so. Of course 19 points per game isn't as impressive when you take a look at the level of competition that Louisiana Lafayette plays (the best team on their schedule is up for grabs between Georgia State or Costal Carolina), but the double-double that Long puts up on a regular basis is something that any team could work with. A bit of time spent in the NBA D-League will do this kid some good as his game needs some polishing, but I expect him to become something at some point in this league.
Robert Carter and Shawn Long are the only two of these four that have had or are scheduled to have official workouts with Dallas before the draft, but just because someone doesn't get a workout with a team doesn't mean they won't get picked by that team. Ellis and Zimmerman may still get a call for a workout, but nothing is set quite yet. If all four of these guys were there for Dallas at 46, I would be very happy. I like Carter or Long the most for the Mavs. Ellis makes a lot of sense too, but his rebounding numbers worry me a little bit. Zimmerman would be a project that wouldn't see the court for a while in Carlisle's system I'm afraid, but if he panned out, it would be more than worth it. Just remember, at 46, true production is difficult to come by, but never impossible.
