The Dallas Mavericks have a head coach to hire, but hopefully they hire one before they select at No. 9 in the NBA Draft. One pick they are being linked to at the last second is Tennessee two-way forward, Nate Ament.
That's what NBA insider Jake Fischer says, as he's labeled Ament as a "strong contender." Ament is a sneaky selection thanks to his two-way versatility with his size and mobility. He's also not a bad perimeter shooter either.
In Ament's freshman and only season with the Vols, he averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and shot 39.9 percent from deep. Ament is likely to go off the board near No. 9, but exactly at No. 9 is starting to look like a real possibility, at least according to Fischer.
Nate Ament has been linked as a 'strong contender' to the Mavericks
The Mavericks have been linked to tons of point guards in the NBA Draft. While that's still the most likely route, the Mavs could have something in Ament. There are tons of fish in the sea with guards in this talented freshman pool, but it's OK if they jump on a forward like Ament because the Mavs can easily turn themselves into a big lineup.
Kyrie Irving and Max Christie would retain their jobs as the starting point guard and shooting guard, while putting Flagg at the three, Ament at the four and Lively II at the five. This lineup would be filled with offense and defense all around the court, and not to mention, this starting five would score at a pretty high clip.
In addition, Fischer adds that the Mavericks are looking to move up from the No. 30 pick. Even if Ament is drafted, there are tons of guards still available if needed in the middle first-round range, like Bennett Stirtz, Labaron Philon Jr. and Meleek Thomas.
The only thing the Mavs need to figure out beforehand is a head coach before the NBA Draft. With only a few days away, the Mavs are playing chicken with the clock here, but Masai Ujiri's history shows he's late to hire head coaches anyway.
A possible name reuniting with a 2011 champion assistant coach, Terry Stotts, who is looking for a job after several years as an assistant. Even though his last head coaching stint was five years ago, he has the perfect excuse to come back. Micah Nori has been a trending name in the assistant coaching business for years now, and he may be the top candidate for the Mavericks at this point.
Whoever takes over the reins will have a huge say in who gets drafted, but at 6-foot-10 and a rare lanky shot creator with great mobility, is not a bad asset to have next to Cooper Flagg.
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