The first round of the NBA Draft concluded on Wednesday night with 30 players selected for various teams in the league, and 28 more selections are set to take place in the second round of the draft beginning on Thursday at 3 p.m.
Despite not holding a single selection in the first round of the draft, the Dallas Mavericks will have the opportunity to select one player with the 58th and final pick in the second round tonight.
The Mavericks will likely target either a lengthy wing who can shoot the ball at a high clip or a defensive-minded guard who can quickly step into a role alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to take on a tough defensive assignment.
It remains unclear which NBA prospect will officially become a member of the Mavericks’ franchise during the draft, but multiple names stand out as players who could be options based on the team’s needs going into the 2024-25 season.
Jalen Bridges, Small Forward, Baylor University
Coming into the draft, Bridges has the potential to be one of the best 3-and-D players selected by a team in the second round due to his physical stature and shooting prowess.
At 6 feet 7 inches tall and 213 pounds, Bridges has the height and size to switch to multiple positions on the defensive end.
Additionally, Bridges, who is 23 years old and played four years in college, has experience that could prove beneficial if selected by a team like the Mavericks, which is looking for an instant-impact player with a later pick.
The Mavericks will likely look for players with defensive versatility in preparation for losing forward Derrick Jones Jr., who has voiced his preference to return to Dallas in free agency but could receive a large contract offer from another team.
After struggling to shoot in the two seasons prior to his senior year, making 32.4% of his three-point attempts in the 2022-23 season and 32.5% in the 2021-22 season, Bridges increased his three-point shooting to 41.2% on a career-high 5.1 attempts last year.
Bridges also thrived when playing off the ball due to his teammates’ ball handling and his ability to run off-ball screens and read defenders, skills that would serve him well on the Mavericks team.
Many mock drafts currently have Bridges landing somewhere between picks 50 and 58 in the second round, which means the Mavericks may have to trade up slightly in the draft to select him.
K.J. Simpson, Point Guard, University of Colorado Boulder
Simpson is a high-level offensive guard who could add a jolt of scoring to a Mavericks offense that often looked lost when either Doncic or Irving were not on the court.
The 21-year-old guard led the Buffaloes in both scoring and assists, averaging 19.7 points and 4.9 assists per game while playing an average of 35.1 minutes.
Standing at just 6 feet tall and weighing only 187 pounds, Simpson led the Buffaloes on offense with a combination of high basketball IQ and a quick first step that allowed him to beat defenders off the dribble.
Similar to Bridges, Simpson struggled to shoot during his first two years in college, making just 25.4% of his three-point attempts in the 2021-22 season and 27.6% in the 2022-23 season.
However, in the most recent season, Simpson shot a career-high 43.4% from the three-point line on 4.9 attempts per game.
Dallas will have to determine whether it believes this most recent season will be a consistent trend for Simpson once he enters the league or if his high-level shooting was an anomaly that could sink back down to previous levels with a longer three-point line.
While Simpson is not the level of defender that the Mavericks may be looking for at the guard position, he is unlikely to be a liability on the defensive end due to his quick instincts and high basketball IQ.
The Mavericks are reportedly looking to trade guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who has shown to be a microwave scorer in the NBA throughout his career. As a result, the team could look to add a scoring guard in Simpson, who had experience leading an offense during his college career.
Cam Spencer, Shooting Guard, UCONN
Spencer comes into the draft as one of the best shooting guards of any draft prospect, shooting 44% from behind the three-point line as a member of the Huskies during the 2023-24 season.
Standing 6 foot 4 inches tall and weighing 202 pounds, Spencer could immediately make an impact for the Mavericks as a player who can run off pin-down screens into three-point jump shots and stand strong in his defensive matchups.
A noticeable theme for potential Mavericks selections is experienced collegiate players, as Spencer spent five years in college and continually moved up the ladder into tougher competition.
After spending the first three seasons of his career at Loyola University Maryland, Spencer transferred to Rutgers University for one season before moving to UCONN, where he ranked second on the national champions in minutes played during the season.
This experience of playing at the highest level and on the biggest stage in college basketball bodes well for a player who could be expected to make an impact early in his NBA career on a team with high expectations after an NBA Finals appearance.
Spencer’s draft rating and expected position in the second round vary greatly. Some believe he could be selected as high as the low 40s, and others believe he may slip down to Dallas at 58.
As a result, should the Mavericks choose to pursue Spencer, they may have to keep a close eye on whether opposing teams value the sharpshooter’s abilities.
Although these players stand out as three names who could seamlessly fit into the team, the Mavericks will have many options to either select a player or switch the intended pick through a trade.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has shown himself to be aggressive in his pursuit of trades to improve the team’s roster, with the team seemingly open to all possibilities leading into the final night of draft selections.