NBA Draft 2020 Roundtable: Reacting to the Draft

Heading into the 2020 draft, our biggest question centered on if the Dallas Mavericks would use the picks at all. Not only did they do that, they traded Seth Curry for Josh Richardson and a pick. What are your instant reactions to drafting Josh Green, Tyrell Terry, and Tyler Bey?

Jordan: I wanted wings. The Mavericks last season were bad defensively, not super athletic, and lacked any size along the perimeter. Tonight they rectified that, at the very least on paper. This won’t be seamless, but they created potential for the wing positions.

On top of that, I think it was probably a savvy move to trade Curry (who we all loved) for a solid starter while also adding another defensive forward. Too often the Mavs punt on the draft and bank on player growth or free agency moves. Tonight they made very specific moves to improve in areas of need. I really wanted Desmond Bane, but I can’t fault them for the efforts they made tonight. And I think really that’s all we can ask.

Matt: Passing over Bane and then having him ripped right out from under us at 30 is a bit of a bummer whichever way you slice it, but the more I’ve see from Green the more I like him. He’s a guy that certainly makes sense on paper if nothing else, so we’ll see how he develops. Tyrell Terry was so far off my radar that the Mavs taking him was the first time I’ve heard his name. Twitter draft nerds seem to like it, so that’s all I have to go on. Tyler Bey is pure defense and it speaks to Dallas’ game plan to add help on that side of the ball. Although, Tyler Herro is already in the league, and I cannot fathom there being two good Tylers at one time in the NBA. Most of all I’m just glad we’re taking some swings and making some moves, not just obsessing over how we’ll get better in the 2021 offseason when we have cap space.

Sam: Green is growing on me, though I wanted Bane. Arguably the best perimeter defender in the draft, Green has the opportunity to fill a gaping hole. And his shot chart profiles him as a capable corner three-point shooter, which we know is a hot spot in a Luka Doncic led offense. I’m not too familiar with Tyrell Terry, and it seems really hard to believe he’ll play regular minutes against grown men in the NBA. The guy is tiny. But the Twitter timeline liked him, so I’m sure I’m wrong. Even though the Mavericks acquired a third pick, I’ll definitely miss Seth Curry, and I’m very concerned the team is counting on players like Tim Hardaway Jr, Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber to pick right up off their career shooting years. Math says that’s not happening.

Ian: There are lots of ways you could look at what Dallas did tonight, and clearly some view it as a step forward and some do not. What is clear is that the Mavs were intent on addressing the defensive side of the ball, and they said as much. Josh Green at pick 18 and Tyler Bey at pick 36 are athletic defenders, and the team picked up Josh Richardson as well. While the cost of getting those last two players was Seth Curry, the Mavs may have picked an heir apparent in Stanford’s Tyrell Terry.

So, if nothing else, the team looks better defensively on paper, and certainly, for all the worry we had that Dallas would be inactive and sedentary, they were not. The initial sting of passing on Desmond Bane (and Tyrese Maxey) for Green hasn’t entirely worn off. I have to admit, I wasn’t as high on Green as others seem to be. The pessimist’s view here might be that a team who had several fluke-ish 3pt shooting seasons (from THJ, Maxi, DFS, etc.) just traded their best shooter in Seth Curry and replaced him with a guy who is 6’1 170. I think my overall impression would be much better if they’d simply taken Bane at 18 instead. However, Green is younger, and ostensibly has more room to grow into the kind of player that would make this draft a homerun. More than anything, I hope Rick Carlisle, who is notoriously prickly with young mistake-ridden players, will give these young guys a chance to learn and develop. If that happens, it’ll be hard to blame Dallas for taking their shot.

Kirk: Despite planning and talking for months about draft coverage, it never occurred to me that the Mavericks would USE BOTH PICKS, let alone trade for a third. I’m writing this at 3:00 am my time, so the draft has settled on my brain and this just feels good.

It’s all bites at the apple when it comes to drafting and at some point you’re going to get something to pan out. The Maverick front office has done very well to date. And like I said a few days ago, this is going to be fine either way.

Here’s the post-draft podcast, Mavs Moneyball After Dark. If you can’t see the embed below “More from Mavs Moneyball”, click here. And if you haven’t yet, subscribe by searching “Mavs Moneyball podcast” into your favorite podcast app.