The Dallas Mavericks (2-2) controlled Thursday afternoon’ Summer League game agains the Oklahoma City Thunder (0-4) at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Arena, 97-87, and this one had something for every sicko.
Dallas really looked connected and cohesive as the game went further and further along, which is rare to see in a Summer League game. Does it give you hope for the future? Not necessarily, because not all of these players are going to remain with the team longer than a few more days.
But in identifying the
real connectors, you can see where Dallas may have found a diamond or two in the rough. Dallas built a 22-point lead in the second and third quarters behind six scorers in double figures, but then gave some of it back in the fourth.
The Thunder put together a late 13-2 run to cut the Summer Mavs’ lead to seven points midway through the fourth, but let’s not pretend like any of that matters. We’re just here for wild projections.
Here are some of the highlights.
Eyes on Larry
After Monday’s 16-point, 12-assist eyebrow-raiser against the Summer Grizzlies, all MFFL eyes were on Sergio de Larrea to see what he might do next. Just like all three of the Summer Mavs’ previous games, he started slowly from the field, but did a great job of finding open teammates with creative passing.
His lob passing continues to be incredibly impressive. He threw another beauty to second-round pick Tobi Lawal with seven minutes left in the third quarter. He had 11 assists before the third quarter was over, but at that point he was also just 1-of-6 from the field and 0-of-4 from 3-point range.
His 12th dime was even prettier than the rest, on a spinning dribble move to Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu as crunch time neared. He threw a 13th to Akobundu-Ehiogu on the baseline with 2:25 left, forcing the broadcast team to remind us all that the NBA Summer League record for assists in one game is 17. He finished with 14 (and nine rebounds), and we are officially in love. He’s making us think ridiculous thoughts — like — what if, in December, de Larrea is the best guard in this year’s rookie class aside from Darryn Peterson?
We’ve seen enough. He’s got great touch and great feel. The shot will come. Rest, young man.
Seva’s turn
As the sleepy Mavericks offense found its footing early on, Vsevolod “Seva” Ishchenko made some nice plays to keep Dallas afloat. He hit the team’s first bucket of the game on a clever drive to the hoop before finding John Poulakidas on a cross-court pass for a 3-pointer that made it 9-7 Thunder with six minutes left in the first. He may not look 6’8” out there, but he plays like it. He does the things that a 6’8” body needs to do on the basketball court, but he also makes plays like a guard at times.
He’s got a nice game. He found Akobundu-Ehiogu for an incredible highlight alley-oop later in the first quarter. He and de Larrea played off one another well on a pick-and-roll action that provided de Larrea room to throw Akobundu-Ehiogu another of his three first-quarter lob finishes.
Our intrepid correspondent Tyler Edsel posited in his latest post that he didn’t think Ischhenko was ready to be on the NBA roster yet, and that may well be the case. But there’s some there there with Seva. He filled it up in the first for six points, three rebounds and a pair of assists before finishing with 12, seven and a pair of steals for the game.
Dusty May interview
First-year Mavericks head coach Dusty May was interviewed in the second quarter of Thursday’s game on the Amazon Prime broadcast. Here are some of the high points.
On where he’s at with his team at this early juncture:
“I’m still trying to learn our roster and get to know these guys and analyze what they do well. I’ve done a lot more observing than teaching or talking. Hopefully the learning curve will be small because of that.”
On this team’s defensive potential:
“You’re not going to be a championship level team at any level if you’re not playing well on both sides. Obviously, when you have a PG like Kyrie [Irving], we’ll be able to score quickly, but we have a switchable team and a good base of guys.”
On Sergio de Larrea:
“Sergio has been amazing. When you win at the level they won at with Valencia, we knew there was something to him. He’s finding his voice — learning how to lead. When he gets stronger and gets the jump shot right, he’s got a bright future in the NBA.”
On how to best deploy Cooper Flagg:
“Last year [Flagg] played a lot of point, and that expedited his growth. I foresee us playing him anywhere from 1-4. He’s one of those guys who can get 15-20 [points] without running a play for him. He runs the floor, he’s on the offensive glass, he’s competitive. I think he’ll shoot more 3-pointers. We have to get him more space.”
What to make of Akobundu-Ehiogu
Is Akobundu-Ehiogu benefiting from de Larrea’s passing, or is his own athleticism enough to make him worth a look this season? He was at the rim all afternoon once again against the Thunder, shooting 5-for-8 from the field for 12 points and five rebounds in the win.
Kao scored 16 on Monday in a similarly high-flying performance. It will be interesting to see what the Mavericks do with him after a pleasantly surprising Summer League stretch.
