Mavs EXCLUSIVE: OMax Prosper Talks Epic Draft Rise, Rookie Expectations & More

On the latest episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper joins us to discuss his epic rise in this year's draft process, his upcoming rookie season, what role he envisions for himself early on, and much, much more.

Dalton Trigg | Aug 16, 2023

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Dallas Mavericks

One of the few times the Dallas Mavericks ended up with two first-round picks in the same draft was in 1994 when they drafted Jason Kidd and Tony Dumas. Although it has only happened a few times in team history, it happened again this summer, as the Mavs made two draft-night trades to acquire promising rookies Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

On Wednesday, Prosper, who goes by "OMax," joined our Mavs Step Back Podcast for an exclusive interview to talk about a wide-ranging set of topics, including how much of an impact he envisions himself having during his rookie season.

"I plan on having a significant impact," Prosper tells DallasBasketball.com. "I want to come in and be a guy that's in the rotation and contributes to winning. That's my outlook for my season.

"[Be] a guy that's coming in and asked to guard the best player on the other side. And a guy that's going to, every game, get better and improve, and get the confidence of his coaches and teammates. And then, end the end, [I'm] going to be a big contributor to this team's success. That's the way I look at my season."

Prosper, who acknowledges that he's more physically prepared for the NBA than most rookies typically are, tells us he's studied elite two-way wings like Mikal Bridges and Pascal Siakam while working on his game. That's the kind of potential Prosper has, and if he can reach it, the Mavs, who already have star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving locked into long-term contracts, will be a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future.

You can listen to the entire interview with Prosper below, where he also talks about his unorthodox path to the NBA, why he believes the Mavs made the right choice by drafting him and Lively together, and much, much more. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you'll never miss an episode!

Follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter. SUBSCRIBE to Mavs Step Back on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here. Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.

Published Aug 16, 2023

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.