Mark Cuban says Justin Anderson is more than the next Jae Crowder, praises Singh

Mark Cuban entered the Old No. 7 Club at the American Airlines Center on Thursday downright giddy, chumming it up with Chandler Parsons. He certainly looked like a guy who was very pleased with both of his draft picks. Justin Anderson looks like a promising two-way player and Satnam Singh is the kind of splash Cuban likes to make in the second round. With a jovial look on his face, Cuban freely answered questions surrounding the mysterious Singh and talked about Anderson a bit as well

Here's a full quoteboard of what Cuban and Donnie Nelson said in their post-draft press conferences. You can see what Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said earlier in the night right here.

Mark Cuban

On Satnam Singh

"We wanted a big guy. We believe in creating legends down in Dallas. He's enormous. What we really liked about him he really could shoot the ball. He was one of the better three-point shooters we brought through. It was shocking, but true. The guy is a knock down shooter. He's intense. He works hard. He's been at IMG academy working with them for several years. We're excited that he'll come and play on our summer league team. You guys will see what he's able to do.

"Manute Bol is back. The guy can shoot, that's all I can tell you. You saw in the video ESPN played that he can knock down the three. He came in here down on the practice court he was 15/25 in one row and was better another time. The guy has got skill. He hasn't played against top level competition so that's going to be the question."

Is there an allure about tapping into the Indian market?

"Of course there is, but remember he has to play in order for that to be viable. We think he has skills and we think there's a lot to him. And he's just huge; he's enormous. People talk about hand size now. We had him measured internally and he was off the charts bigger than any guy we had come through. He makes a basketball look like a tennis ball. Obviously he's not the fastest or quickest guy, but there are a lot of guys in this league who have made a living who aren't fast or quick who could block a shot, protect the rim, bang and get an open look. He's going to get that shot."

On how the Mavericks found Singh

"He was at IMG [Academy]. Because of the circumstances when he came over. he wasn't eligible to play in college. After high school just stayed down there at IMG and worked continuosly so he was off of everybody's radar. That's what made it interesting to us and we'll continue to work with him."

On what he likes about Justin Anderson

"Anderson is a beast. For a guy who weighs 230 pounds and has a 43-inch vertical, he moves really well, is aggressive. He doesn't back down from anybody. He played in a system in Virginia that was aggressive defensively, so he's got that D-first mentality. We thought he might fall because he was hurt the second half of the year and that hurt people's impression of him. We were stunned and thrilled to get him."

Anderson still has plenty of room to improve

"Defensively, he comes from a defensive mentally, a defensive program. We think he can guard on the perimeter. He's 6-6 with a just under 7-foot wingspan. He's going to be able to guard, be able to guard multiple positions. They had him guarding 1, 2s, and 3s at Virginia so he's mobile. He can spot up shoot. He's not going to put the ball on the floor a lot, and that's what we're going to work on with him. A guy who can defend multiple positions and hit a 3, that's what you're looking for in this league and that's why we're excited."

Don't worry, Justin Anderson is not Jae Crowder

"I'd say he's a little bigger version of Jae, a little longer version of Jae. Obviously, Jae was versatile when he came in and became more skilled as he developed. I think Justin will do the same thing. I think Justin, at least coming in, is a better shooter. Jake was always willing to put the ball on the floor and see what could happen. I don't think that's Justin, at least not what we saw at Virginia. That could be a system thing. I think that's something he's going to learn and get better at. When you have a guy that's fast, agile, 230, 7-foot wingspan and a 43-inch vertical, there's a lot you can do if he's got any basketball skill, and he's got a lot of basketball skill."

Anderson's shooting is not a mirage

"It was a large enough sample size and he went through and specifically changed his shooting mechanics. If you go back and watch his first two years and watch them now, he would fade, the shot was kind of funky. Now he's got a straight elbow and goes straight up and down. He changed dramatically. He got hurt, and then he got appendicitis, so he struggled towards the end of the season. We didn't think that was the sample size that was relevant. He was putting 5 or 6 threes on a team that scored 55 points a game, so they obviously had a lot of confidence in his shooting, as well."

Donnie Nelson

On Satnam Singh

"Clearly he'll play with us during summer league. Then he will sign a D-League contract so he'll develop with the Texas Legends. We're really really excited about helping to develop his game. He's pretty skilled. He's got good hands and he's a good passer. He needs to improve his mobility, but we're excited to work with him."

Justin Anderson fits perfectly in Rick Carlisle's system

"We're really excited about Justin. A multi-position player. He can guard 2s, 3s and some 4s and even potentially some 1s. Not the ultra-quick 1s, though. We feel like he's really improved his shot. He's changed his form this last year and shot really well from the 2 and the 3. He's an energy guy that really works well in Ricks's system. We're looking for big things for him."

Rick Carlisle giving starter minutes to a rookie?

"When we drafted him, that's one of the things we had in mind. With his body, his age, he would be able to step into that role. Obviously those minutes are earned, but he's certainly got the stuff to be able to challenge for the minutes, kind of like how Jae Crowder did back in the day."

A shift has occurred in the Mavericks scouting philosophy

"His wingspan is significant. He's got height and has a mature build. He really tested well: athletically, speed, agility, vertical. He was one of the best athletes in the draft. All of those things combined made for what we think is a really productive player."