Dallas Mavericks Blog – Page 19 – NBA Blog

Mavs waive Ding Yanyuhang

The Dallas Mavericks have waived guard-forward Ding Yanyuhang (pronounced yin-you-hong).

Ding (6-7, 205) was originally signed by the Mavericks on July 23 and played in one preseason game for Dallas. His only action of the exhibition season was on Monday in Shenzhen, China where Ding scored 1 point in 9 minutes.

Ding has spent the last seven seasons playing professionally for China’s Shandong Golden Stars. In 45 games for Shandong in 2017-18, he averaged 26.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game en route to winning his second consecutive Chinese Basketball Association Domestic MVP award.

Ding also played on the Mavericks’ Orlando and Las Vegas summer league teams in 2017.

The Xinjiang, China native has represented the Chinese national team in international competition, including the 2016 Olympic Games.

Mavericks sign Donte Ingram and Rashad Vaughn, and waive Jalen Jones and Codi Miller-McIntyre

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard/forward Donte Ingram and guard Rashad Vaughn. And in a related move, the Mavericks also requested waivers on forward Jalen Jones and guard Codi Miller-McIntyre.

Ingram (6-6, 215) went undrafted in 2018 after a four-year college career at Loyola University Chicago. He started all 38 games for Loyola as a senior in 2017-18, and averaged 11.0 points, a team-best 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 30.6 minutes en route to earning Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors.

The 6-6 guard/forward played a key role in helping the 11th-seeded Ramblers earn their first Final Four appearance since 1963. He hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left to lift Loyola past Miami, 64-62, in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA tournament held at American Airlines Center on March 15.

Ingram was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2018 MVC Championship after leading Loyola to a victory over Illinois State in the MVC title game. It gave the school its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1985.

The Chicago native started all five games for the Bulls’ Las Vegas summer league team in 2018, averaging 6.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 26.8 minutes.

Vaughn (6-6, 210) was selected 17th overall by Milwaukee in the 2015 NBA Draft. He owns career averages of 3.0 points, 1.1 rebounds and 12.0 minutes in 139 games (eight starts) with Milwaukee, Brooklyn and Orlando.

In 28 games for the Bucks, Nets and Magic in 2017-18, Vaughn averaged 2.3 points in 7.6 minutes per contest.

Vaughn spent this past summer teaming with Mavericks two-way guard Daryl Macon on the Miami Heat’s summer league squads that competed in Las Vegas and Sacramento. In five games (two starts) in Las Vegas, Vaughn averaged 10.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 21.0 minutes. In two games in Sacramento, he averaged 8.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.0 minutes.

In his lone season at UNLV, Vaughn averaged 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23 games (all starts) en route to earning 2015 MWC Freshman of the Year honors. He declared for the draft following the 2014-15 season.

Jones (6-7, 220) appeared in one game for Dallas this preseason and had three points and one rebound in 7 minutes against the Beijing Ducks on Sept. 29. The Dallas native played in 12 regular-season games with the Mavericks as a rookie in 2017-18, averaging 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 13.5 minutes.

Miller-McIntyre (6-3, 205) saw action in two games for Dallas this exhibition season after signing with the team on Aug. 1.

Nice preseason debut for Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic is one of the most intriguing NBA rookies in a while. And while preseason isn’t a time to make firm judgments about anyone, it’s still a good sign when a rookie comes out and does nice things right away.

In adding Doncic, the Mavs got a player who has already proven to be able to compete at a higher level than the best of college basketball. He’s one of the main rookies to keep a constant eye on, both now and at least for a solid first month of the regular season.

Here’s ESPN.com on how his career preseason debut went:

Luka Doncic’s performance in his preseason debut provided some glimpses of the unique skill that persuaded the Dallas Mavericks to trade up to draft the European teen star.

Doncic, the No. 3 pick in the draft, scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 30 minutes during a 116-63 victory Saturday night over the Beijing Ducks.

“It was great to be out there,” said Doncic, who also grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots. “It’s been a long time since I played a game, so I’m really happy to be here. Always the first game, you’re a little bit nervous — new team and everything. I think everything went well.”

The 6-foot-7 Doncic made a few dazzling plays off the dribble, something the Mavs are expecting on a consistent basis as he serves as one of their primary ball handlers despite playing mainly power forward.

Preseason stats aren’t that important. It’s about the skill level of a player and the potential to do big things at regular-season intensity.

One important note, though, is the opponent wasn’t competitive at all. The Mavs absolutely dominated the Beijing Ducks in a game that really wasn’t even at a preseason basketball level. We can’t hold that against Doncic, though. But the next step of course is an actual NBA opponent.

Still, a nice first showing.

On the role of Dirk Nowitzki this season

Here’s the Dallas Morning News reporting on Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki, whose career is winding down and his role continues to diminish:

His role on the court won’t change a bit. He’ll still be featured in the pick-and-pop and the spot-up shooting roles. And the one-legged fadeaway that he pioneered will come out of mothballs every so often. What is unknown is at what points Nowitzki will be on the court during the course of games. His 22 to 24 minutes of playing time could come at the start of each half, but that would mean either Wesley Matthews assumes the sixth man role or Luka Doncic isn’t starting. And if Doncic isn’t a starter, something has gone haywire. It might make sense to bring Nowitzki off the bench as the sixth man, pairing him with J.J. Barea and maybe another guard to be named. That grouping has always been very effective. But no matter what, season No. 21 will be a celebration of Nowitzki’s basketball life. It seems likely to be his last. Maybe.

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On Mavs guard-forward Wesley Matthews

The Mavs won just 24 games last season. But then they added veteran center DeAndre Jordan and drafted a very experienced rookie in Luka Doncic. Interesting moves for a team that could have headed towards a total rebuild. The core of the team right now includes Dennis Smith Jr, Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes, Jordan, and if he pans out, Doncic. And old Dirk Nowitzki, riding out his legendary career. As for Matthews, here’s the Dallas Morning News examining his present and possible future:

The iron man reputation may have caught up with Matthews a little last season. But he’s still expected to be a 30-minute-plus heavy lifter. His job as a spot-up 3-point maker won’t change. But the intriguing thing about this season is that the combination of him fronting perimeter scorers with DeAndre Jordan waiting to protect the rim should only make the Mavericks’ defense, which wasn’t terrible last season, even stronger. Another consideration for this season: Matthews is certain to be a source of periodic trade speculation because of his expiring contract and the fact that he can shoot the ball. Those are two commodities that contending teams can always use.

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On Mavs guard J.J. Barea

Here’s the Dallas Morning News with a look at the role veteran Mavericks guard J.J. Barea may play this season:

Barea is perfect as the point guard off the bench and it should be even better this season as he likely will get plenty of time on the court with Dirk Nowitzki, who will be play extended time with the second unit whether he starts or not. It was that way last year and Barea prospered for it. And all of the Mavericks’ guards figure to benefit from the arrival of DeAndre Jordan. Barea shows no signs of retiring after this season, so he’ll be looking to boost his value for his next contract. But he’s not the kind of player who will do that at the expense of what’s best for the team. Just expect more of the same from one of the most respected and underrated Mavericks of all time.

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On Mavericks big-man Dwight Powell

Here’s the Dallas Morning News reporting on Mavs forward-center Dwight Powell, who plays solid basketball when given some minutes, but still faces an uphill battle to get increased playing time:

The big question regarding Powell is whether or not he can continue to prosper in a reserve role. It’s unlikely that he will become a regular starter in the coming season, given the Mavericks’ makeup. He’ll be playing behind DeAndre Jordan, Harrison Barnes and Dirk Nowitzki on the front line, which puts him in competition with Salah Mejri, Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith for playing time. What the Mavericks need is for Powell to continue to be a rebounding beast per minute played, like he was at the end of last season. If he does that, his offense will continue to come and playing time will not be a problem.

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In Dallas, all eyes on Luka Doncic

Here’s the Dallas Morning News reporting on Mavs rookie Luka Doncic, who will have the attention of much of the basketball world, let alone the city of Dallas:

A leap of faith.

That’s what Mavericks fans are taking when it comes to prized draft pick Luka Doncic.

He’s 19 years old. He’s been a professional in Europe for four years. He’s been an MVP at that level.

And virtually nobody in Dallas knows anything about him.

All that fans can really do is bank on the wisdom of owner Mark Cuban, president Donnie Nelson and coach Rick Carlisle.

Even a lot of the Mavericks’ players have yet to get a pulse on how good Doncic can be. Though he technically came in a trade with Atlanta, he’s the highest-drafted rookie (third) the franchise has had since Jason Kidd was taken second in 1994. But Kidd was a more known commodity.

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On new Mavs center DeAndre Jordan

Here’s the Dallas Morning News reporting on new Mavericks center DeAndre Jordan. The former Clipper is an interesting addition to the Mavs, who are rebuilding yet are giving Jordan big money to help boost their win total for one season. Whether he’ll be on the team beyond 2018-19 remains to be seen:

The Mavericks were challenged in the rebounding department, so having Jordan should immediately help that shortcoming. He also will help their offensive efficiency as he’s led the league in effective field-goal percentage five times in the last six seasons. It’ll come down to how well Jordan and Dennis Smith Jr. mesh in the pick and roll, which figures to be an even bigger part of the Mavericks’ system this year. Luka Doncic working with Jordan is intriguing, too. And you might even see the high-low post of Dirk Nowitzki and Jordan. The bottom line is that having Jordan opens up a whole new array of options for coach Rick Carlisle.

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On Devin Harris rejoining the Mavericks

Devin Harris recently rejoined the Mavericks. As the team rebuilds, Harris will likely play a backup role, to younger players who may be a part of the team’s future. Here’s the Dallas Morning News reporting on his return:

It’s doubtful Harris would have returned to the roster had Yogi Ferrell not changed his mind after orally agreeing to a two-year, $5.3 million deal. He will back up both guard positions and serve as mentor in a crowded backcourt that includes starters Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic, J.J. Barea, Wesley Matthews and Jalen Brunson.

As of opening night, Harris will have played 10 of his 15 seasons in Dallas.

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