Coach Jared Dudley assures Luka Doncic's new rookie teammates will get plenty of playing time - "More min on the way!"
Dallas Mavericks Summer League coach Jared Dudley has promised more minutes for rookies Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper after they came up clutch in their last game.
The Mavericks were up three with 1:41 left when Lively II and Prosper made crucial shots to extend Dallas' advantage.
Lively II cleaned up a Jaden Hardy missed layup, while Prosper hit a fadeaway jumper to restore the Mavericks' five-point lead after the Philadelphia 76ers cut it to three again.
Dudley reposted a video of their heroics on his Twitter, saying:
"More min on the way!"
More min on the way! twitter.com/nba/status/167…
The Dallas Mavericks won the contest 111-103. Lively II, the Mavericks' No. 12 pick, produced eight points and 11 rebounds and 4-5 shooting, while Prosper, the No. 24 pick, had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Both rookies have been solid thus far. They have played 20 minutes apiece across the Mavericks' two Summer League games. Jared Dudley seems to like what he's seeing from the two rookies and promises to offer them more minutes.
The Mavs need to see their rookies and young players improve at a decent pace, as they will need that depth, especially in the regular season after last year's debacle.
Dallas didn't have an adequate supporting cast around Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, resulting in them missing the playoffs.
Jared Dudley's coaching is one of the bright spots for the Dallas Mavericks at Summer League
The Mavericks seem to have got it right by appointing Dudley as their assistant coach last summer. The former player-turned-coach has hit the ground running at the Summer League this year. Dudley's presence has been massive in pushing the growth of young players like Jaden Hardy.
Dudley has actively called out the youngsters and coached them the best way he sees fit, which is drawing praise around NBA circles. He recently disclosed the inside story on how he handled Hardy's underwhelming outing against the Sixers, saying (via Mavs' beat writer Grant Afseth):
"I thought [Jaden Hardy] played terribly [in the] first half. He wasn't listening to the play calls, dropping his head, going too fast, turning the ball over. [Shammgod] had a good halftime speech.
"I came in to follow him, talking to him about slowing down, making the right reads [and] that we were going to score enough points."
Summer Mavs coach Jared Dudley mentioned that Jaden Hardy wasn't listening to play calls and dropping his head. He attributed a halftime talk from Shammgod for turning around Hardy's play.
"I thought [Jaden Hardy] played terribly [in the] first half. He wasn't listening to the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/pr290OcEuO
Jared Dudley's directness and knowledge of Xs and Os have been impressive during this run as the Mavs' Summer League coach. He will have more to contribute come next season, which will be crucial for coach Jason Kidd, especially in the way he handles the younger players.