Dallas Basketball

Mavs Summer League: 4 Big Things From Thrilling Comeback vs. 76ers

Jaden Hardy and Dereck Lively II shook off slow starts as the Dallas Mavericks captured their first NBA Summer League win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Here are DallasBasketball.com's four biggest observations.

Dalton Trigg

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NBA Summer League play can be ugly at times – a slog, if you will – but it can also be highly entertaining if you watch long enough. After falling in their Summer League opener over the weekend, the Dallas Mavericks bounced back in a big way on Monday night in Las Vegas with a 111-103 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, but it wasn't before overcoming adversity.

With 7:27 remaining in the third quarter, the Mavs found themselves down 67-49, and they were down 89-74 heading into the final frame. In the fourth quarter, Dallas outscored Philadelphia 37-14 to completely erase the 18-point deficit. Jaden Hardy filled up the stat sheet again, and Mavs rookies Dereck Lively II and O-Max Prosper showed off what makes them special.

Here are DallasBasketball.com's four biggest takeaways from the Mavs' first Summer League win.

Jaden Hardy Turns Up Aggression, Shakes Off Bad Shooting Night – Despite starting off the night cold and finishing the game shooting just 5-17 from the field (2-8 from deep), Hardy flipped the switch in the second half, finishing with 24 points, six rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block while being a team-best +14 in the boxscore plus/minus. He scored 13 of his 24 points in the forth quarter alone.

After realizing that his shot wasn't falling, Hardy turned up the aggression and to the free-throw line at will, shooting 12-13 from the stripe on the night. If Hardy can bring that kind of situational awareness into training camp, he'll continue to give the Mavs reasons to continue shopping veteran shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. on the trade market in order to free up more playing time at the position.

Dereck Lively II Will Have Growing Pains, But His Physical Tools Are Impressive – As much potential as Lively has, it's important to remember that he's only 19 years old. He started off his second Summer League game shaky, committing undisciplined offensive fouls and being out of position on defense on a few occasions.

However, Lively did a much better job collecting himself as the game progressed, and he finished with eight points and 11 rebounds (seven offensive) while shooting 4-5 from the field in 24 minutes. Lively might not be ready to be the Mavs' starting center from the first day of his rookie season, but it shouldn't be too long before he can make that leap due to his physical tools and defensive instincts.

Mavs Will Benefit From O-Max Prosper's Energy Next Season – Prosper, like Hardy, had a rough shooting night, finishing 2-8 from the field and 0-4 from deep. However, he still ended up with 10 points, seven rebounds, one steal and one block in 24 minutes. Prosper got to the free-throw line frequently and shot 6-9 in that department.

Prosper's endless motor paired with his ideal size for a wing is something the Mavs have sorely missed since having to part ways with Dorian Finney-Smith in order to acquire Kyrie Irving last season. If he continues to bring that same fire night in and night out, there is a realistic path to Prosper becoming a starter for head coach Jason Kidd at some point during his rookie year.

Honorable Mentions: Jordan "Jelly" Walker and Taze Moore – After Mavs two-way contract player McKinley Wright IV had to leave the game with an ankle injury, undrafted UAB product Jordan "Jelly" Walker made the most of his opportunity in the second half, finishing with six points, three assists and one steal in nine minutes. Although those stats aren't eye-popping, it was apparent that his presence on the court provided the Mavs with a much-needed burst of energy in their comeback win.

Meanwhile, Taze Moore, who is with the Mavs' G League affiliate team, the Texas Legends, showcased his Prosper-like ability to have endless energy while always being in the right place at the right time. Moore finished with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in just 16 minutes while shooting 6-7 from the field. … and one highlight reel put-back dunk.

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Dalton Trigg
DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.

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