NBA news: Five draft prospects the Dallas Mavericks could target in the off-season

The Dallas Mavericks have had a disastrous beginning to March, winning just one of their last eight games, beating fellow strugglers Charlotte Hornets in that time.

After controversially trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, the Mavericks have had to deal with massive injury problems.

Anthony Davis, who arrived in Dallas in return for Doncic, went down with an abductor strain just three quarters into his debut and is expected to be shut down for the rest of the season.

All-star Kyrie Irving tore his ACL against the Sacramento Kings last week.

Derreck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are also missing through injury indefinitely.

As a result, the Mavericks will have to regroup and use their projected late lottery draft pick in hopes of immediately contending for the Championship next year after reaching the NBA finals last season.

Sports News Blitz writer Dylan Richardson has identified five potential targets for the Mavericks in the 2025 draft.

Egor Demin - Guard (BYU Cougars)

Previously projected to be a top five pick in this year’s draft, the 6'9” guard now looks like he will fall just outside of the top 10.

The Mavericks need another playmaking guard after trading Doncic last month, and Egor Demin could be the solution.

The BYU freshman has averaged 5.6 assists a game this season, while also getting a steal per game on average, showing his defensive capabilities that could be of use to the Mavs.

However, there are major question marks over his solo chance creation, struggling to create open looks for himself.

The 18-year-old is also a below average shooter from beyond the arc, shooting just 27.6% from three this year.

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Liam McNeeley - Forward (UConn Huskies)

Liam McNeeley is expected to be drafted around 10th in the draft, but could be a great addition to the Mavericks' offence if he fell to the end of the lottery.

At 6’7”, the hybrid guard/forward has shot 34.7% from three this season and would offer good support to Irving and Davis upon return from injury.

While there is a massive offensive upside to McNeeley, there are serious reservations about the Huskies’ freshman’s defensive capabilities.

These doubts put question marks over his ceiling in the NBA.

Jase Richardson - Guard (Michigan State Spartans)

The Mavericks need another good scorer in the guard positions alongside Irving, Max Christie and Jaden Hardy - Jase Richardson could be exactly that.

The 6’3” guard has averaged 52.4% from the field this season while also knocking down 38.8% from deep.

However, the Mavericks may be a bit hesitant to draft another shorter guard, with Irving, Christie and Hardy all also being 6’5” or under.

Richardson is also a below average defender, so it is unsure just how much of an upgrade this would be to the Dallas roster straight away.

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Collin Murray-Boyles - Forward (South Carolina Gamecocks)

Collin Murray-Boyles’ draft stock has recently increased massively, with the 19-year-old now projected to be a top 10 pick in this year’s draft.

However, as a sophomore, he could well find himself dropping to the back end of the lottery with teams wanting to take a player with a higher ceiling.

Although, with the Mavs supposedly being in ‘win now’ mode, the 19-year-old could be the perfect addition on both ends of the floor.

The 6’7” forward is the only current player in college basketball to be averaging 17+ points, 8+ rebounds, 2+ assists.

He has also registered 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks while shooting at least 55% from the field.

A great inside finisher and good defender, the only real problem with Murray-Boyles’ game is his shooting percentage from three.

Rasheer Fleming - Forward (Saint Joseph’s Hawks)

Rasheer Fleming enters the draft as an NBA ready talent, but at 20-years-old some teams may be reluctant to use a high draft pick on him in favour of a player with a higher ceiling.

The 6’8” forward has averaged 15.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game this season, shooting 56% from the field and 41% from three.

On top of the offensive productivity, Fleming is also a good defender, averaging 1.5 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.

The only question marks over Fleming would be his playmaking ability.

However, with some other good playmakers in the team, the 20-year-old would be a good pick up for the Mavericks for next season.

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