Mavericks GAMEDAY: Dallas Rookies Building Chemistry As Preseason Ending

The Dallas Mavericks lost their preseason home opener 101-97 to the New Orleans Pelicans after a late comeback effort, but even without top players Cooper Flagg or Kyrie Irving on the floor, head coach Dusty May was impressed by the product put out as the team settles in after the China trip.

Rookie No. 9 overall pick Morez Johnson Jr. sat out Wednesday night with shin splints, but Dallas' next two draft picks were notable performers in May's eyes.

Late first-rounder Sergio de Larrea (10 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 2 BLK) and second-rounder Tobi Lawal (16 PTS, 4 REB, 8/8 FT) had strong showings.

"He’s making a case to be in the rotation," May told reporters about de Larrea after the game. "I don’t know when we’ll settle into a starting lineup or if we will. We could see a different lineup each and every night depending on who’s healthy and the combinations that play best together. But he’s certainly earning more and more trust day by day.

"... But he’s a very, very confident player. He makes his teammates better. We’re very, very pleased with his progression so far."

READ MORE: Kyrie Irving's Mavericks 'Figuring It Out On The Fly?'

May knew the matchup with New Orleans wouldn't have Dallas' regular starters or role players, due to either rest or nagging injuries. The starting lineup of P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, Zaccharie Risacher, Moussa Cisse and Max Christie is filled with shoe-in roster-makers, but each played only about an average of 15 minutes.

This was about finding out what May's depth looks like, with five players (including the youngster Risacher) getting more than 20 minutes of playing time.

The rookies made the most of it.

Despite the Mavs' 25 turnovers (and de Larrea's five), the smooth Spanish point guard was effective early as a distributor, and later flashed his perimeter shot with a 2-for-3 night from 3-point range.

"The pressure, ball pressure, we are practicing to learn as fast as possible," said de Larrea about things he's still adjusting to. "I want to try to help the team to win, to do things in the best way possible. I’m very happy with the rotations and everything. If I play more, if I play less, my job is to help the team win. We’re going to play fast to try to create advantages in the first seconds [of the shot clock]."

Lawal's athleticism brought fans to their feet several times, notably his thunderous two-handed dunk on a pick-and-roll in the first half. The high-flyer, who posted a 45-inch vertical leap in the NBA Draft Combine out of Virginia Tech, said he is also getting more familiar with his new role and teammates.

"It’s definitely growing," Tobi Lawal said, specifically about his connection with de Larrea, who assisted the slam. "They understand I’m going to cut. So throw it up there I’m going to try to dunk it. I’m just trying to make everybody’s job easier and do the dirty work."

READ MORE: Mavs Have More Questions Than Answers After Pelicans Loss

The Mavericks host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday for the final preseason game before roster cuts. May said he hopes players like Santi Aldama (knee), Marcus Sasser (adductor), Johnson, and Jett Howard (illness) can be available, along with a rested Flagg and Irving, to make the preseason finale a more formal dress rehearsal.

"I’d say possibly Friday night we might be closer to that, once the medical staff tells us who should go and who we should rest," May said. "It’s obviously not ideal to have this many guys out. But hopefully on Friday we’ll be more in game form."