Quincy Acy may find himself on the outside looking in

The Dallas Mavericks brought in Quincy Acy, a Mesquite native, this summer to secure their depth at power forward. Throughout his career, Acy, a journeyman up to this point, has made a name for himself with high energy, physical play. That’s exactly what the team hopes to get out of him in the coming season. However, it’s uncertain just how much playing time Acy will see in Dallas.

Main Question: Where does Acy fit into the Mavs’ rotation?

Looking at the Mavs’ roster, it’s kind of easy to assume that Acy will be no higher than the 10th man. Dallas is loaded with guards and Acy’s role as a limited-minutes stretch four minimizes his on-court potential. That’s not to say that he couldn’t make an impact.

What might make or break Acy’s role on the team will be his ability to knock down shots along the perimeter. It may come as a surprise to some that Acy is actually a decent 3-point shooter. He’s connected at a clip of 33.3 percent for his career and shot 38.8 percent with the Sacramento Kings last season.

While his percentages are good, his shot sample size is small. Last season he only attempted 49 threes. That breaks down to 2.7 attempts per 100 possessions. If Acy sees minutes playing with either Dirk Nowitzki and Andrew Bogut on the floor, their gravity should open up more outside attempts for everyone. He’ll just need to knock them down.

However, even if he is knocking down shots, he still might not crack the permanent rotation. After the starting five, you have to imagine that J.J. Barea, Devin Harris, Justin Anderson, Dwight Powell, and Seth Curry will all be in front of him. That leaves him with limited opportunities.

Best case scenario

I think the best scenario for Acy will be something similar to his production while he was with the New York Knicks two seasons ago and the Kings last season. While on the Knicks, he averaged 5.9 points per game, 4.4 rebounds, and one assist in about 19 minutes. He played five fewer minutes with the Kings but significantly shot the ball better with an effective field goal percentage of 60.

Another thing that Acy has going for him is his ability to defend multiple positions. He can guard both forward spots and could probably play center in a small ball lineup if called upon. It’s this versatility that could be the x-factor in whether Acy sees minutes if his shot isn’t as productive as it once was.

If he can replicate his production from the past two years, then he’ll certainly play a major role on the team. He won’t play every game but if he appears in 60 to 70 games and averages about 15 minutes then he’ll have had a successful season.

Worst case scenario

The worst case is that Acy finds himself on the outside looking in. I already mentioned the number of players who are likely in front of him on the bench. Because of them, there might not be enough minutes to go around for Acy this season. If that’s the case, then it’s not inconceivable that he plays for less than 10 minutes per game, which would severely hamper his output, rendering him little more than a body.

Acy is good enough to help the Mavericks compete and win now. He just needs to find his place in the rotation.