“Relationships Are Everything”: Olivier-Maxence Prosper talks about visit to Kyrie Irving’s house, lessons from Klay Thompson, and more (Exclusive)
Entering his second NBA season, Olivier-Maxence Prosper is focused on carving out a role in the Dallas Mavericks’ rotation as the team looks to build on last season’s run to the NBA Finals. The Mavs have high hopes for Prosper's long-term impact after trading for the 25th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to acquire him.
During his rookie season, Prosper averaged 3.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 8.4 minutes per game. However, he has made strides during the preseason, posting 10.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 24.6 minutes per game entering Thursday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Prosper continues to prioritize his defensive impact, understanding the importance of doing so when filling a role next to Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. Offensively, he’s working on complementing the Mavericks’ superstars by becoming as consistent of a shooter as he can, cutting, and rebounding.
Prosper has taken notes from his veteran teammates, including Klay Thompson. He's embraced learning from one of the greatest shooters in NBA history in addition to already having made the most of Irving's mentorship.
Q: It seems like some of the vets on this team, like Klay and Kyrie with their championship experience, have been very intentional about building team chemistry. How important has their leadership been, and what are some examples that have stood out to you?
Olivier-Maxence Prosper: "Relationships are a big part of everything. If you want to be a championship team, you’ve got to be willing to fight and play for each other, and that starts by getting to know each other on a deeper level than just on the court. Those little things, like the way Kyrie is as a person and what Klay did in L.A., go a long way. Even though we have new pieces, the core group from last year is still here. We got to know each other a lot better, and now we have a better understanding of each other. Knowing what everyone is going through outside of basketball helps us support each other better, which will lead to us winning more games."
Q: What would you say your main priorities are for your development currently?
Olivier-Maxence Prosper: "With this team and this year, for me, the first thing is defensively. How can I come in and be able to disrupt on that end? How can I use my length, get deflections, and get steals? Be an anchor on defense. And then offensively, how can I complement our star players and help make their lives easier out there through ball movement, cutting, offensive rebounding—all those little things—and let the rest come to me."
Q: As you continue to develop your shot, is there any particular part of your mechanics you're focusing on right now?
Olivier-Maxence Prosper: "Mainly just balance, making sure I step into every shot the same way. One-two into it, and then just let it fly with confidence every time. It's mainly about balance and flow into the shot."
Q: People sometimes just look at three-point percentage, but they might not realize all that goes into being a great shooter. You have to shoot against contests, shakeups, drifts, etc. How many variations do you work on as a shooter?
Olivier-Maxence Prosper: "A lot. There are so many different ways you're going to catch the ball. The game is so imperfect; it's not always going to be a natural catch-and-shoot. You have to be able to shake, drift, and step into it. Sometimes you might have to lean a little bit one way or the other. It all depends. But honestly, it's just about repping those and shooting every shot with confidence. That's what great shooters do, so you've got to rep those."
Q: Speaking of great shooters, you guys now have Klay as a teammate. Have you been able to take anything from his game so far?
Olivier-Maxence Prosper: "Yeah, I mean, just the intentionality of everything he does. Every shot he takes, everything is super, super technical. It always looks the same. He doesn’t take any reps off. You can see it before practice, after practice, when he takes extra shots. Every shot means something; he doesn’t take any reps off. Seeing that and how everything is textbook, it shows that if you do that over a long time, it’s going to pay off on the court."
Q: Some of the top defenders in the league really study the tendencies of the players they're guarding. How has that changed for you? What have you learned during your time in the NBA to prepare in that way?
Olivier-Maxence Prosper: "You can really see it, especially with the playoff run we had last year. Seeing how guys like D. Jones, P.J., and others prepared to guard the best players on the other side, you really have to study a lot—study tendencies, see where guys like to go and figure out how to make their lives tougher. It's about making them take shots they don’t necessarily want to take. Those great players, you’re not going to make them miss every shot, but if you can make them inefficient, that’s all that matters."