Scappy Dallas Mavericks Fall to Utah Jazz in NBA Summer League Opener: Full Recap

Scappy Dallas Mavericks Fall to Utah Jazz in NBA Summer League Opener: Full Recap

how’s it going everybody Welcome in to another episode of the math stepback podcast I’m your host dton Trigg I’m joined with my co-host Drew Johnson you can find both of us on X you can find myself at Dalton Trigg you can find my guy DJ at coach Drew 33 DJ that was a very Scrappy first Summer League game the the Mavs they took on a very talented very gritty uh Utah Jazz team that shot nearly 50% from the field uh over 40% % for three the Mavs you know they they were up big early they had a double digit lead they gave it up the Utah Jazz stormed in front in the fourth quarter uh and then with 2.1 seconds remaining uh Melvin ajinx of the Mavs new rookie the number 51 pick in the 2024 NBA draft was called for a foul on Utah’s Kenny Lofton Jr uh Jared Dudley challenged the call it was not successful the M lost a timeout uh they ultimately lost the game 90 to 81 so DJ I’ll get into my observations from this first game but what did you think right off the bat watching that MTH Summer League game well I think what honestly kept us in the game for the most part was our commitment to defense and our aggression on that end of the floor and uh just our determination to create extra possessions for ourselves because we did not shoot the ball well tonight and in fact we couldn’t buy a bucket uh most notably omx um Prosper strug struggled um you know ainsa he kind of came alive a little bit in the second half but overall he struggled as well you know in these Summer League games with not a whole lot at stake we really want to look at the positives that we saw too and I thought that ainsa was a major positive with his energy on both ends of the floor he wasn’t able to get anything to go but he was able to get to his spots pretty much anytime he wanted to he was able to create his own shot off the dribble um and he showed great energy on the defensive end so those are things that will’ll carry over and you you got to believe that you know eventually his shot is going to start falling it isn’t like he wasn’t getting good looks um in fact everything looked perfect except the end result yep uh often times and so I I think that we can take that and uh take some encouragement away from that yeah and look one thing about omx that I like and I mean I know he didn’t shoot the ball well and everything but he got to the line eight times so he was being aggressive he was getting fouled he honestly I thought he got fouled on a three in that fourth quarter that could have been a pivotal play you know for the Mavs but uh I love the aggression not just from omx from Melvin to jinsa you know he struggled in the first half and it was funny we caught up with Sean Sweeney you know the M’s assistant coach he he plays a big part in Jason kids you know everybody says Jason kids defense Sean Sween is a big part of that and he was uh he was in the running for the Detroit Pistons head coaching job ended up staying with the Mavs which is a good thing for us yeah um and we were talking to him after the game and he said look Melvin a jinsa is just killing it shooting the ball in practice uh and that didn’t translate in the first part of uh the first Summer League game for the Mavs against the the Jazz but he really picked it up in the second half and one thing I liked even though the shots weren’t falling in the first half for a 20-year-old rookie uh in his situation coming overseas and playing against you know well it’s summer league but it’s still in competition yeah um you know those were a lot of first round pack picks on the other end as well soent he was playing against a lot of of solid competition but I love that he had the mental fortitude to just keep pushing through you know instead of getting down on himself he has a high level of confidence and that really showed that really shown through it was shown through in the second half cuz he had a much better second half and he ended up with uh 13 points shot five of 13 overall only hit one of his five3 but you know according to what Sean Sweeny was telling us after the game you know we we expect that to pick up you know as summer league progresses here but the biggest thing DJ is and you’ll probably agree with this take that I have but in summer league you can’t get too caught up in the counting stats like it’s it’s good to see guys be efficient and hit shots and all that good stuff but I look at body language I look at you know how comfortable those guys look out on the floor and that’s what I really loved about Melvin a jinsa and AJ loss yeah specifically now Brandon Williams he was good too but specifically just the way AJ Lawson and Melvin the jinsa play uh it’s just they’re like Tasmanian devils they never stop high energy when the game starts through when the game ends uh I made the observation during the game I was like man Melvin a jinsa the way he move like aesthetically he reminds me of Avery Bradley yeah I T well taller a Avery much yeah but that’s how he plays just endless energy all over the place and that’s what you like to see from young young players that’s what will give him a chance you know to if now it’s not going to happen anytime soon but that will give him a chance to compete when it comes training camp time and you never know it’s a long season there’s injuries stacking up maybe the Mavs can have a contributor at the end of the bench with that number 51 pick they got in this year’s draft well let’s be real the guy that we got with a number 51 pick in draft uh had first round upside and first round aspirations and really first round predictions um you know the guys was it Draft Express who initially predicted him to be a first round pick as as early well it was back in April and you know the only some would argue that the only reason uh that he was not a first round pick in this year’s NBA draft is because he got injured before this year’s hoop Summit and that tanked his stock it scared away everybody well and then also you have to think about the high school reclassification stuff too yeah because there was a lot more like it may not have been highend talent but just you know General role player type Talent you could see a lot more of that in this draft that’s why nio Harrison MAV GM said he was pleasantly surprised that Melvin a jinsa was still available when the 50 picks came into play and that’s why they made the trade with the Knicks to move up from 58th to 51 and get him and man like I said he struggled shooting the ball in the first half but he really picked it up and he looks like a real NBA he looks like he could be a real NBA player absolutely so that’s one thing I’m excited about some other stuff you know it was nice to see uh you know Brandon Williams do his thing the MAV recently signed him to a two-way contract so he’s going to be around for a while longer he’ll spend a lot of time with the Texas Legends he led the M with 21 points and five assists four rebounds so good stuff from him as well uh and then the other Mavs and double figures you know again AJ Lawson had 16 points uh jinsa again had 13 points and then ohx had 11 points so that was your four Mavs who uh you know who scored in double figures so great first game for the Mavs I thought you know I honestly thought as talented as that uh that Utah Jazz team was with the experience they had too I thought it I didn’t think it was going to be as close as it was but it was a very fun game for a summer league game and we were uh we were kind of you know praying that there wasn’t overtime no really I mean it was it was honestly the mths to lose they had a pretty decent lead uh in the second half and what ended up losing us the game was our inability to take care of the ball and our inability to rebound the ball in crucial moments if we if our young players can figure out a way to close games that way and I know that the stakes aren’t overly high but you still want to win right and I think that we’re more than capable of doing that with the talent that we have because a we didn’t shoot the ball well and B we did not play well down the stretch when uh we really needed to yeah so I think that there’s a lot to be hopeful for there’s a lot to be happy about and I’m really excited to see how this plays out yeah and look aside from just the game itself just the atmosphere has been great awesome this place has you know you know Thomas Max Center and Cox Pavilion they’re connected and uh there’s games going on all day and it’s been jam-packed from start to finish it’s been the end energ has been great you know you got Legends walking around we ran into Andre Iguodala earlier ran into Mavs Legend gal Mel if you were around for those years you know that’s a that was a big Mavs Blast from the Past got to catch up with him but it it’s been a great time and you know I’m I’m glad we decided to do this and you know not like I said not just the game itself but you know getting to see all the people that come you know there was a lot of Mavs chemistry stuff going on in this game too because uh you had Derek Lively na Mar Mar Quinton Grimes Jaden Hardy uh Nico Harrison and even a new owner or president Patrick damont Yeah he was down there yeah they were all sitting together down there that was uh that was good to see it’s always nice to see know K Thompson didn’t show up but we know when it’s offseason time Klay Thompson likes to get on his boat you don’t see him until training camp starts so we have seen him uh training wherever he’s at right now in a vintage B nitzki Mitchell and Jersey so you know that’s pretty solid got good taste that’ll get the fans pump I’ll tell you who we have seen in here is Derek Lively uh we’ve actually seen a lot of them in here in fact we just missed him earlier this morning he’s locked in yeah I mean the guy’s committed to getting better he’s he’s been in the in the lab all summer and he’s going to continue to be in there so we can expect big things out of him I think well guys it’s been fun um this is dallasbasketball.com and MAV stepback live from Las Vegas we’ve had a great time uh be sure to like rate and subscribe on all your favorite podcast platforms hit that subscribe button on our YouTube channel uh and check out all of our work that we’ve done over at dallasbasketball.com we’ve got a lot of stuff coming as well before we you know head back home but it’s been great it’s hot out here but it’s uh you know it’s dry heat so it’s not as bad but you know if you’re out in it long enough it’s still pretty bad but we’ve had a great time out here in Vegas so guys be sure to um go check out our latest podcast too before we recorded this this one we had an exclusive interview with omx Prosper before Satur or after rather Saturday’s shoot around so be sure to go check that out he gave his thoughts on uh what he learned the most from his rookie season uh he dished on Klay Thompson and him signing with the Mavs and what it could mean for the team uh what it was like for him to be on an NBA Finals participant in his first year and uh a lot more so be sure to go over there and check that out but guys we appreciate it we hope you have great rest of your weekend yall go get some rest and wait for Monday when the Mavs play their second summer league game if you’re if you’re a real basketball sio you know you get real hardcore with this summer league stuff like we do so we appreciate it guys yall have a good one thanks guys

In this special edition of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, Dalton Trigg and Drew Johnson bring you a full recap of the Dallas Mavericks 90-89 loss to the Utah Jazz in their NBA Summer League opener live from Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas. From O-Max Prosper being agressive in getting to the free-throw line, to AJ Lawson and Melvin Ajinca showing their potential, this episode covers it all. #bluewirevideo