The second round of the NBA Draft finished on Thursday, with 28 prospects selected for various teams across the league.
The Dallas Mavericks opted to trade up in the draft to select forward Melvin Ajinca from France with the 51st overall pick.
Ajinca is a 6-foot-8 forward who is just 20 years old and has spent the last year playing for the Saint-Quentin BB in LNB Pro A, which is the top league in all of France.
Dallas acquired the rights to Ajinca following a trade with the New York Knicks. The Mavericks received Ajinca and sent Ariel Hukporti, the rights to Petteri Koponen, and cash considerations to New York.
Although he played just 24.5 minutes per game during his team’s most recent season, Ajinca accumulated averages of 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, putting him in the upper half of his team.
Ajinca is currently rough around the edges as a player and could still use some time to develop his skills, though his ability to compete in one of the most competitive leagues in the world seems to be a good sign for his future in the NBA.
His tall frame gives him the potential to be an incredibly versatile defender on the wings. At 218 pounds, the 20-year-old already has a solid build and can continue putting on muscle as he gains more experience in the league.
While Ajinca possesses the physical tools to be an impressive defender on the wing, his basketball IQ can continue to grow, which is not unexpected considering his age.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the forward’s game comes from his ability to shoot the ball from behind the three-point line, already showing himself able to make an open shot from further than one would expect.
However, Ajinca did shoot just 30.9% during the most recent season due to some cold streaks in various games, with the consistency in his jump shot being the main concern moving forward.
Luckily, Ajinca managed to make 79.7% of his free throws during the season on 2.1 attempts per game, meaning that the Mavericks likely believe that he already has a baseline for his jump shot mechanics that will translate as he gets more comfortable at a deeper range.
Many of the potential concerns will be dealt with as Ajinca continues to age and play basketball at the highest level more consistently, as Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said that the team will evaluate every option and may allow him to remain in the French league for another season so he can see court time more frequently.
“I think the beauty of him being a European player is we have a lot of optionality and I think both things are on the table. We don’t have a lot of roster spots available,” he explained.
“So, I think that’s the beauty of his age — and the fact that he is playing in Europe – that we can kind of figure it out.”
