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Mavericks make intriguing contract decision with G League star

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Jay Postrado | Last updated 3/3/24

Wing depth has been a concern that the Dallas Mavericks have not been able to solve just yet. The Jason Kidd-led squad fixed their frontcourt problems during the NBA Trade Deadline and their ball-handling conundrum last season. Luka Doncic just needs a reliable presence on the perimeter who can create shots for the team when necessary. They may have just gotten the fix in a star out of the NBA G League, AJ Lawson.

This need for more wings prompted the Mavericks to convert AJ Lawson’s two-way contract, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. He will now be on a standard NBA contract after showing out with the Texas Legends, the Mavericks’ NBA G League affiliate.

Lawson has been an elite scoring machine. He averaged 20.7 points for the team this year and has been a steady all-around presence. Just last season, he knocked down 48.2% of his shots from all three levels of the field for 20.1 points. Along with this, Lawson has proven that he can be a growing threat to the Mavericks’ G League team when it comes to outside shooting. He took an average of 6.4 shots from way out and sank 32.8% of them.

What else can he do for the Mavericks?

Scoring is not the only thing he can offer to the Luka Doncic-led Mavericks. Lawson also grabbed 8.9 total rebounds last year in the G League and has gotten the knack for banging bodies on the inside. His defensive prowess also allows him to contest shots right at the apex of someone’s form. This has gotten him 0.7 blocks per game. Not to mention, this is all rounded out by his elite skills at being a pickpocket. Lawson knows when a ball-handler is vulnerable or when a passing lane can be taken advantage of. 1.7 steals is the fruit of all these insane skills.

He already has played for Jason Kidd’s Mavericks system for 28 games this season. Lawson is given 8.3 minutes on average which gives the team 3.75 points on a 47.1% field goal shooting clip. If he is given more minutes, he can surely contribute to the Mavericks’ postseason runs this year and maybe in many more years after. After all, he is just 23 years old and can develop into one of the best wings in the league.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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