NBA Summer League | Mavs end off 4-1

[Jym]

This whole draft class is wild
Someone that could win ROY most years will probably end up 4th or 5th, especially with Chet added on too

[SleepingHero]

Some highlights from tonight's game for Lively and Omax

Lively block:
https://twitter.com/Mavs_FFL/status/1679991353323732992

Lively dunk:
https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/16...7120562176

Lively big slam:
https://twitter.com/MavsHighlights/statu...3621961728

Omax dunk:
https://twitter.com/All_Things_Mavs/stat...5588422658

Omax blows by Jarace Walker #1:
https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/16...83872?s=20

Omax blows by Jarace Walker #2:
https://twitter.com/MavsHighlights/statu...4631226369


Also this:

https://twitter.com/Coopz___/status/1679999356642967553

Jarace Walker is 1/9 with OMAX as his primary defender

OMAX is 4/6 with 10 points with Jarace Walker as his primary defender

Do with this information as you must

[SleepingHero]

[Jason Terry]

Phenomenal performance from OMax. Anybody still bummed we got him instead of Walker? He destroyed Walker

The Dorian comp is disrespectful to OMax. He is miles ahead of Dorian at any point in his career.

What a steal

[Scott41theMavs]

https://youtube.com/shorts/Qo9TneCtEGs?feature=share

I had seen some videos of OMax before the draft (particularly from the Box and One), and knew enough on draft night to cheer out loud when Nico and co. made the aggressive move to go out and get him.

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Mods, could you please change the tag under my name to read "OMax is HIM"? Thank you.

[SleepingHero]

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Mods, could you please change the tag under my name to read "OMax is HIM"? Thank you.

Done

[Razzmatazz_Hopskidillydoo]

The Dorian comp is disrespectful to OMax. He is miles ahead of Dorian at any point in his career.

DFS needs to be assisted, or at least, not guarded well enough on cuts to the basket.
Whereas Omax was driving past Walker 1v1.

If Omax tightens up his handles and develops a jump shot, he'd be more of a Josh Howard.

[Mavs2021]

DFS needs to be assisted, or at least, not guarded well enough on cuts to the basket.
Whereas Omax was driving past Walker 1v1.

If Omax tightens up his handles and develops a jump shot, he'd be more of a Josh Howard.

That´s a good ceiling comparison.

[MarkAguirreWrathofGod]

I like the OG comparison best for O-MAX. Similar body types, level of athleticism. OMax looks like he could, in time, be better at creating for himself off the dribble due to better handles. I don’t see him ever hitting Siakam levels offensively or in the glass, but wouldn’t say it’s entirely impossible either.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Cam Whitmore and Emoni Bates have something to prove. They meet tomorrow for the SL championship. Both have turned it up for their respective teams.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Marcus Sasser gets the SL high with 40 pts in Detroit's 100-85 win over the Pacers.

[KillerLeft]

Lively looks more NBA ready than O-Max in this one.

[SkenfromLMF]

Man I think Miles and Jelly should be the 2-way players.
Jelly is a Jason Terry starter kit...

[SleepingHero]

Lively looks more NBA ready than O-Max in this one.

Disagree respectfully though I didn't think either played that great of a game.

Lively had a great 3rd quarter though. 

https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/16...74976?s=12&t=fB77Wd_meeYxET50aQtZPg

[Kidnova]

Phenomenal performance from OMax. Anybody still bummed we got him instead of Walker? He destroyed Walker

The Dorian comp is disrespectful to OMax. He is miles ahead of Dorian at any point in his career.

What a steal

This board comparing someone to Dorian is the highest of praise.  

[dirkfansince1998]

Is it concerning that the team looked way better without Hardy?

[Jannemann2]

Is it concerning that the team looked way better without Hardy?

I don't think so. We've heard at the beginning that it was "all about Hardy" which might have been for testing the pressure on him as much as taking it away from the other guys.

However we saw Hardy a bit overwhelmed with leading the team and getting buckets and trying to be active on defense and also doing some point-guard duty. But with the directive of him being "the man", both, Hardy and the rest of the team, may still have operated under the idea, that Hardy should be force-fed which didn't yield perfect results. Hardy still got his points, and I think he will fulfill that role just fine with the big team (might still be a step behind an experienced guy like Tim Hardaway Jr., like it or not :-)).

With Hardy being out, the other guys were probably more free and could adopt more to the flow of the game, and play towards the strength of the hot guys of the day.

[Razzmatazz_Hopskidillydoo]

Is it concerning that the team looked way better without Hardy?

It would be a concern if the Mavs plan all along is to promote Hardy to be the 3rd playmaker/PG.

From the looks of his SL play, he isn't up to the task.

The good news is -- the Mavs have Seth and Exum who can both play PG a bit.
The bad news is -- Exum isn't a playmaker. He can handle the ball some, but his assist numbers aren't good. Seth is a little bit better, but not by much.

The Mavs have added guys who can dribble better than Reggie and DFS, so that would help in the ball handling department, but the playmaking isn't going to get better from the guard spot. 

Mavs tried with Frankie, Green and Hardy last season, and we all know how that went.

[DanSchwartzgan]

But with the directive of him being "the man", both, Hardy and the rest of the team, may still have operated under the idea, that Hardy should be force-fed which didn't yield perfect results.

With Hardy being out, the other guys were probably more free and could adopt more to the flow of the game, and play towards the strength of the hot guys of the day.

I think there is wisdom here.  No real flow because the priority was trying to accomplish a specific outcome that wasn’t necessarily a focus on team basketball.  Once he went out, things went back to a more natural flow.

Personally, I hated this approach to the summer.  From day one I’ve said the key to unlocking all Hardy can be is his decision making.  I think his natural instinct (from watching his play at all levels) is not a very valuable archetype in the NBA.  The league has more than enough undersized twos who are willing to take lots of shots and score lots of points on mediocre (or worse) efficiency.  Some people fawn all over his PPG and don’t realize that anyone could have taken those shots at that level of efficiency.

What (might) make Hardy special is reigning in the worst of his shots and raising his efficiency in terms of 3% and TS%.  Get him over 40% on 3’s and over 60% on TS (like he was in February and March) and you have something.  The way they handled the summer just invited him to take lots of bad shots and not play within the flow of the game.  If all we want is to develop another Jordan Clarkson, we should trade him now.  If he’s to ever be special, the path there is efficiency on good volume rather than inefficiency on high volume.  He’s never going to have prototypical size.  He’s never going to be a plus defender and he’s never going to be a PG.  I’d rather we work on the thing that might make him special rather than the thing that might make him average.

[Kidnova]

I think there is wisdom here.  No real flow because the priority was trying to accomplish a specific outcome that wasn’t necessarily a focus on team basketball.  Once he went out, things went back to a more natural flow.

Personally, I hated this approach to the summer.  From day one I’ve said the key to unlocking all Hardy can be is his decision making.  I think his natural instinct (from watching his play at all levels) is not a very valuable archetype in the NBA.  The league has more than enough undersized twos who are willing to take lots of shots and score lots of points on mediocre (or worse) efficiency.  Some people fawn all over his PPG and don’t realize that anyone could have taken those shots at that level of efficiency.

What (might) make Hardy special is reigning in the worst of his shots and raising his efficiency in terms of 3% and TS%.  Get him over 40% on 3’s and over 60% on TS (like he was in February and March) and you have something.  The way they handled the summer just invited him to take lots of bad shots and not play within the flow of the game.  If all we want is to develop another Jordan Clarkson, we should trade him now.  If he’s to ever be special, the path there is efficiency on good volume rather than inefficiency on high volume.  He’s never going to have prototypical size.  He’s never going to be a plus defender and he’s never going to be a PG.  I’d rather we work on the thing that might make him special rather than the thing that might make him average.

This is why I'm not as dead set against trading him as many on this board seem to be.  Obviously we would need to be getting a very good player in return, but if Hardy is what it took to get a Jarrett Allen (for example), then so be it.  There's certainly a lot of talent waiting to be unlocked in Hardy, but he there's also a decent shot that he doesn't pan out the way we all hope.