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Dallas Mavericks Draft: 3 potential stars at Pick 37

By Reid Hanson

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Picks one through 30 are seen on the board at the conclusion of the first round during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Picks one through 30 are seen on the board at the conclusion of the first round during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 28: Nassir Little #10 of Orlando Christian Prep is congratulated by teammates Keldon Johnson #23 of Oak Hill Academy and Darius Bazley #15 of Princeton High School after he won the MVP trophy in the 2018 McDonald’s All American Game at Philips Arena on March 28, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Darius Bazley

Small/Power Forward

Like I stated in the intro, there are a lot of players in the middle of the draft who could go just about anywhere. Bazley is one of those guys.

Bazley stands 6’9”, has a 7’ wingspan, and he’s loaded with athleticism. Coming out of high school, he was a 5 star recruit, committed and then decommitted from Syracuse, even briefly committed to the G-League. And then New Balance happened. Lured by my dad’s favorite shoe company, Bazley took a 1-year, $1 million internship to help rebrand NB.

Not only did he help them, but they helped him. He may have been away from the game this past year, but he studied the game under their program, learned business, and worked out on the professional level in elite facilities.

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Why he’s available: His nontraditional path coupled with his year away make him go from lottery pick to second rounder. There is undeniably risk.

Why he’s a good fit on the Mavs: He can be a star. At a spot in the draft it’s hard to find contributors, Darius Bazley has a chance to be a star in the NBA. That’s worth the gamble.

The Mavs happen to have a lot of openings on their team and Bazley can play multiple positions (2,3,4), so if he doesn’t fit one way he may fit somewhere else.

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What he’ll provide as a rookie: He can be a situational starter at a variety of positions since he’s basically a guard trapped in the body of a forward. It’s tough to say where he’s at in his game since we haven’t seen him play this past year, but even last year he looked like an instant NBA contributor with sky-high potential.

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