Preseason Game 2: Utah Jazz (2-0) vs. Dallas Mavericks (0-1) | 7:00pm CST

[The Jom]

After 13 years, the Mavs have finally retooled and have put together a finals level team.  I don't think it's realistic for a random G-Leaguer to come in and play heavy minutes for such a type of team. Can we trust Gortman to produce in the playoffs? 

He's had 2 good pre-season games. He looked pretty forgettable in summer league.

The voice of reason. Such a downer.

But your expectations for the 15th spot on the roster may be a bit high. Someone who might contribute in a pinch AND might develop into a quality piece—that’s not bad for seat 15. 

Further, Gortman seems different from a rando G-Leaguer to me. (Admittedly, this may be because I’m not very aware of what the G-League has to offer.)

Here’s my case for G-man to break out of that league:

1. He’s sooooooo young. Skipped his senior year of HS to turn pro and join the GL. No surprise he failed to impress as the equivalent of a high schooler playing up. Year 2 his stats look like a kid who is starting to show out but isn’t quite a star. Potential for sure. But how much real coaching has he even had?

2. It’s 2 games outta 2. Sure, that’s a really small sample size. And nobody’s scouted his weaknesses. But inconsistency is to be expected from youngsters. And he can suck the next 4 outings and still be considered on pace (2/6) to develop into something valuable. 

3. The kid defends. Not tall, no. But looks to have extra-long arms and more quicks than anyone else on the court. His rep is 100% defense. If the outside shot starts falling—and it sure looks like it may have—his value skyrockets. 

4. Great fit. As you noted, there’s a hole to fill with Exum sidelined. And I haven’t seen any of the new guys pick up full-court and harass a ball handler like Gortman can. That’s a tool which might come in handy on the deep bench. 

5. Potential asset. A young kid on the most friendly of contracts who could turn into something somebody else wants? That’s not a bad gamble right there. A better one than any of the 3-way fellas in my opinion.

Will it all come crashing down next game come Monday night? Possibly. But as long shots go, I rather like this one. Looks a lot like a saner version of Dennis Schroeder to me. (Less ass, more harass.)