The Mavericks are set to begin their Summer League journey in Las Vegas, where several intriguing prospects will get their first chance to make an impression.
Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor released his top 50 players to watch in NBA Summer League, and three Mavericks made the list. Dallas opens Summer League against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT, and the storylines are already in place before tipoff.
Morez Johnson Jr. checks in at No. 12. The ninth overall pick faces former Michigan teammate Yaxel Lendeborg in his first professional game, with Lendeborg going to Golden State with the 12th pick in the same draft.
Three months ago, they were celebrating a national championship together at Michigan under Dusty May, who is now Johnson's head coach in Dallas.
O'Connor is upfront about the challenge of evaluating Johnson in this setting.
"In some ways, Summer League isn't made for a guy like Johnson," O'Connor wrote. "He's the beyond-the-box-score player who sets the bone-crushing screen that springs the star, blows up an opponent's action, and dives for loose balls. He's a winning player through and through."
The questions O'Connor and Mavericks fans want answered are straightforward. How will Dallas use him? Will he screen and roll? Will he guard wings?
"He transferred from Illinois to Michigan and became the connective tissue of the national champions as a 251-pound wrecking ball with surprisingly soft hands and the defensive IQ to guard 1 through 5 in a switch-heavy scheme," O'Connor wrote. "Maybe we'll see it all in Vegas."
Sergio De Larrea comes in at No. 17. The 6-foot-6 Spanish guard spent years developing with Fenerbahce and Valencia before making his way to the NBA. He won the Liga ACB championship this spring and owns a career 3-point percentage above 40% in professional competition across one of Europe's top leagues.
O'Connor sees a real path to a rotation role in Dallas.
"The Spaniard is a tall, playmaking guard with major feel and a knockdown jumper," O'Connor wrote. "With size, smarts, and defensive versatility, he could carve out a role with the Mavericks and end up one of the steals of the draft class."
Dallas finished near the bottom of the NBA in 3-point shooting last season. De Larrea's shooting is one of the biggest reasons he will be worth watching throughout Summer League.
Vsevolod Ishchenko rounds out the group at No. 46. The Russian-born guard measured 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot wingspan and spent last season playing professionally in Russia, a level of competition O'Connor acknowledged makes projection difficult.
"He's a fluid guard with an excellent shot off the catch with deep range," O'Connor wrote.
The physical tools are there. Summer League offers the first opportunity to see how those skills translate against NBA-level competition.
Johnson, De Larrea and Ishchenko headline the list, but Dallas has several other players worth watching. Tobi Lawal, the 48th overall pick out of Virginia Tech, gives the Mavericks another frontcourt prospect to evaluate alongside Johnson. The London-born forward posted a 40-inch standing vertical leap at the NBA Draft Combine and fits naturally into May's up-tempo system.
Ryan Nembhard also returns for his second Summer League after a promising rookie season as Dallas' primary backup point guard. Thursday at 6 p.m. CT is where the next chapter begins.
