If you winced every time your phone buzzed this week for fear that you would get yet another NBA health and safety protocol alert, you’re not alone. The entire league has been negatively affected at this point but it’s not an exaggeration to think that the Mavericks have been served an extra helping of hardship this holiday season. By the time this article releases the number may be higher but as of right now the Mavericks have 6 players on 10-day contracts while the original roster navigates through protocol to get back on the court. Let’s have a look at where those 10-day contract players came from, what you can expect out of them and grade their performances thus far.
Marquese Chriss
Chriss may be best known for Mavs fans for his skirmish with Luka Doncic while playing for the Warriors. Chriss is an energetic Forward who can grab rebounds and is fairly versatile on offense. Injuries have kept the former 2016 Top 10 pick from making the cut in recent years and was most recently in training camp with Portland before the season started. In his first two games with the Mavericks he’s contributed at a rate that makes you question why he wasn’t already on a roster. Chriss had 6 pts, 8 rebs, and 1 blk in his first game mere hours after signing his contract then 13 pts, 5 rebs, and 2 stls in his second outing. It’s only two games in but after seeing the lackluster production from other big men on this team in the first quarter of this season it’s hard to imagine a world where Marquese doesn’t end up staying on the roster even after this mess is over.
Grade: A good pickup
Theo Pinson
Pinson is a former North Carlina Tarheel and most recently a New York Knick who has active hands on defense and isn’t afraid to shoot from the outside. H can handle the ball well. He’s a slasher who likes to finish through contact. Theo had 4 steals in his first game for the Mavs against the Timberwolves and they weren’t luck. He’s active and obnoxious on the defensive end. It speaks volumes that without having a full practice under his belt Coach Kidd played Pinson 22 minutes in both of his first 2 games for the team.
Grade B reasonable, but he might be good
George King
George King had only played one other game in the NBA before grabbing a rebound and hitting 1 of his 2 free throws in4 minutes on the court for the Mavericks Thursday night. King played his college ball in Colorado and played one game for the Suns in the 2018-2019 season before heading to Europe. King played pro ball in Germany, Poland and Italy before coming back to the States and playing in the G League. The sample size so far is too small to give a real report card but be on the lookout for his skills as a passer and his quick shooting stroke from beyond the arch. He also has a knack for attacking closeouts and is active off-ball
Grade: Wait and See?
Charlie Brown Jr.
As soon as he plays, we’ll update you but until then…
Grade: DNP Coach’s Decision
Brandon Knight
Brandon Knight is the biggest name on this list and without a doubt has seen the most success at the NBA level. Before his injury that kept him out the entire 2017-2018 NBA season Knight was averaging almost 20 ppg and 5 assists. Since his knee injury Knight has been somewhat of a journeyman with stints in Houston, Cleveland, and most recently Detroit in the 2019-2020 season. He’s not the player he once was but he’s a serviceable veteran PG now at age 30 and he’s actually been destroying the G-League while playing for the Heat’s affiliate team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. In his 11 games with the Skyforce he’s averaged 21 PTS, 6 AST, 4.5 REB, and 1 STL in 38 minutes per night. In his first game for the Mavericks he played 10 minutes and put up 2 PTS on 1-4 shooting and grabbed 2 boards. With only 1 game in the books, it’s impossible to say what his contribution will be but let’s watch with bated breath that we get some glimpses of 2015 Brandon Knight at least once while we wait for the NBA to level out.
Grade: Knees? Who needs Knees?
Carlik Jones
Carlik is getting the chance that we’ve wanted him to get all season long. Carlik Jones is a former Louisville standout who can absolutely burn you if you let him get hot. He’s got range and he can also score after putting the ball on the floor. He’s able to shoot on the move and is a good ball handler. He’s got a head fake and a stutter that make players whiff on him but can sometimes get overzealous when he beats a defender. He’s good passer and can find big men in traffic. That passing ability came into to play early, putting up 3 assists in just 9 minutes of playtime for the Mavericks vs Milwaukee. Like many other players on this list the more minutes Carlik Jones gets the more likely he is to get comfortable and put up numbers similar to what he was doing for the Texas Legends this season. Check out our interview with Carlik from a few weeks ago on the Mavs Fans For Life Podcast.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1813230/9683692-episode-42-carlik-jones-interview.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-9683692&player=smallGrade: Landon is Excited, so is Josh.
Categories: 2021-2022 Season, Mavs Fans For Life
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