The Dallas Mavericks’ Summer League team is working hard to get ready for their trip to Las Vegas. The team will play the Utah Jazz on Saturday night in the first of the Mavs’ four Summer League games.

Considering that they recently added Klay Thompson, the Mavericks’ summer league experience may not be the high point of this month, but it doesn’t mean they can’t identify some talent that might perhaps improve their squad for the upcoming campaign.

Fans of the Mavericks should be thrilled about the prospect of someone from this Summer League squad joining the ranks of last year’s breakout rookie Dereck Lively II, who played for Dallas’ Summer League team and later contributed significantly to Dallas’ run to the NBA Finals.

Five Mavericks Summer League players might be added to the roster for the regular season.

While Summer League isn’t a perfect indicator of how a player’s entire career will turn out, it may offer fans a glimpse of what some young players might look like in an NBA rotation as their skills advance.

Without further ado, these five Mavericks Summer League players have a chance to either earn a two-way slot or make the team’s 15-man roster for the regular season.

5. The Fudge Brothers

Alex Fudge is one of the Dallas Mavericks’ more unknown players going into this Summer League after appearing in just two games for the team on a two-way contract the previous season. Fudge, who is 6-foot-9 and has a wingspan of seven feet, has the length and verticality to one day be a top defender in the NBA, but at 200 pounds, he needs to gain weight in order to guard wings and bigs on a regular basis.

Although Fudge showed promise in his two games with the Mavericks at the end of the regular season, in his 27 G-League games this past season, he shot a pitiful 21.4 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

For someone his big, Fudge has a respectable handle and good coordination when handling the ball, but he is by no means a skilled enough shot-creator to carry the lead, even in Summer League, most likely. Fudge, who is 21 years old and entering his second NBA season after two years of college at Penn State and the University of Florida, is a very raw prospect, but this Mavericks Summer League club could benefit from his agility and bursts of aggression during drives.

Fudge has a lot of work ahead of him if he hopes to prove he can play himself into a guaranteed contract with the Mavericks before the start of the upcoming season. However, he needs to improve his shot and show that he can compete at the NBA level from a strength standpoint during 2018 Summer League.

4. Ajinca Melvin

Melvin Ajinca, a 6-foot-8, 218-pound rookie from France, has the potential to surpass a few players in Dallas’ rotation the next season if he improves quickly enough. He has already displayed glimpses of his ability to be a productive 3-and-D wing at the highest level.

As a left-handed player at his frame, Ajinca possesses a special mix of skills since he can finish with delicacy at the rim or pull up for a mid-range jump jumper by attacking off closeouts. In terms of his mechanics, release time, and ability to get into a rhythm running off of flare and pin-down screens, he’s also a very skilled catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter. However, going into his rookie season, he will undoubtedly need to improve on consistency and shot selection.

Ajinca is extremely talented for his size, but if he wants to become a top-tier role player in the NBA, he will need to bulk up on muscle and athleticism. This is because he may find it difficult to match the verticality and power of NBA rim protectors while attacking the basket.

With a 6-foot-7.5 wingspan, Ajinca isn’t the lankiest guy in the world either, so being stronger and more agile might really help him on defense. Jared Dudley, the coach of the Mavericks Summer League, seems to have already been impressed with Ajinca, though, as Dudley talked highly of the player in a post-practice interview a few days ago.

Since he is taller than I am and has stronger handling and decision-making skills, I can see him taking some initiative. He’s a 6-8 lefty with decision-making ability. It’s a great skill set to have in the NBA, but I won’t say it’s unique.”

– Jarred Dudley

Dudley’s positive remarks about Ajinca may indicate that the No. 51 pick in this year’s draft will either earn a guaranteed contract from Dallas if he performs well in Summer League, though he will need to improve on some of the previously mentioned intangibles this summer if he hopes to guarantee that. Ajinca may also land a two-way spot or make Dallas’ final 15-man roster this fall.

3. Williams, Brandon

Brandon Williams demonstrated last season that he could develop into an NBA-caliber guard with greater consistency, despite playing in just a few games at the NBA level. Williams is a highly astute finisher and ball handler in space. He also has a great sense of where to position himself to make pull-up jumpers in the midrange.

Williams, who stands 6-foot-2, isn’t the world’s tallest or most lanky guard, but he plays very well defensively and has excellent foot and lateral quickness. Williams could be the solution to Dallas’ growing need for another ball handler if he performs well in Summer League and is given a fair chance in the upcoming fall, though he still has some things to work on if he wants to lock up that role.

Although Williams has demonstrated three-level scoring ability in the NBA G-League, he still needs to improve his 3-point shooting off the dribble in order to guarantee a rotation spot for Dallas in the fall. Right now in his career, Williams projects more as a microwave scorer than a dynamic playmaker.

Williams surprised people with his athleticism and filled the box score up several times for the Texas Legends last season. Given that the Mavericks recently awarded Williams a two-way contract for the upcoming season, it is not out of the question that Williams will be included on Dallas’ final 15-man roster once training camp concludes.

Although Williams is one of the more experienced players on Dallas’ Summer League roster at 24, he has the talent to make the Mavericks reconsider turning his two-way contract into a regular one before the start of the regular season if he can improve as a playmaker and 3-point shooter during Summer League and the upcoming training camp.

2. Lawson, A.J.

A.J. Lawson is about to embark on his third consecutive Summer League with the Dallas Mavericks; this could be his last chance to establish himself as a contender for a spot on Dallas’ final roster come October. Lawson now has a multi-year contract with Dallas that is not guaranteed, but if rumors about the Mavericks trying to re-sign Markieff Morris and add another ball handler are accurate, then Lawson’s future with the team is uncertain.

That choice, though, might be questioned by Dallas’ front staff if Lawson has a successful Summer League performance. Lawson, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, is an explosive point-of-attack defender with exceptional length and quickness, but his lack of top strength and his 3-point shooting have prevented him from playing in large quantities for the Mavericks. Lawson did well in his limited court time for Dallas last season, and he aligns nicely with the team’s goal of increasing transitional pace.

Lawson shot the 3-ball at a very erratic clip in his few minutes at the NBA level last season after improving his shot mechanics. Therefore, improving his consistency there will be crucial if he hopes to make Dallas’ 15-man roster the following season. In contrast to the G-League, Lawson’s below-average strength bothered him more on drives to the hoop in the NBA and attracted attention from defenses when he was matched up against wings with greater build last season.

Having said that, Lawson is nearly 24 years old and possesses amazing agility and potential. Perhaps he simply needed one more offseason to develop into the additional shooter and point-of-attack defender the Mavericks sorely needed.

Even though Lawson will need to truly shine to earn the chance, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Dallas’ three-year project pay off handsomely for the organization this next season if he has an effective Summer League on both sides of the ball.

1. Prosper Olivier-Maxence

The Mavericks’ top goal going into the 2024 NBA Summer League is to make sophomore wing Olivier-Maxence Prosper a role player by the start of the next campaign. Prosper, who already possesses intriguing defensive qualities with his 6-foot-8, 230-pound frame and his 7-foot-1 wingspan, refined his offensive game last season both in the G League and with the Mavericks.

Prosper can become a starting-level player for years to come if he can gain more confidence attacking and shooting off the catch. He has the tools and mentality to become an elite defender and could potentially guard one-through-five on a regular basis. The Mavericks can’t be remiss in realizing how much potential Prosper has.

Prosper is expected to be on Dallas’ roster for the upcoming season with a guaranteed multi-year contract, so he will be one of the team leaders on this young Mavericks Summer League team. It would take a major setback for Prosper to miss out on Dallas’ main roster for the upcoming season.

Prosper has the best chance of any player on this list of being in the Mavericks’ starting lineup next season, so if he can improve his ball handling repertoire and add some drive-and-kick elements to his game during this Summer League as well, we might be watching a prelude to what we could be seeing from him in a Mavericks uniform next season.

Prosper could very well be Dallas’ top scorer during his second Summer League stint if reports about his 3-ball game sharply improving over the course of the previous season are accurate. If so, Mavericks fans will have something to look forward to this July other than free agency additions.