Tyler Dorsey could shoot his way into a contract with the Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are hoping they’ve found a steal in shooting guard Tyler Dorsey. The former 2nd round pick spent time with the Houston Rockets and the Memphis Grizzlies, but failed to catch on with either team. For the past three years, Dorsey has been playing in Europe.

At 26 years old, Dorsey is entering his athletic prime. He’s got decent size at 6’5” and 183 pounds. What the Mavericks are hoping is that Dorsey can add some shooting and athleticism to their team. While that’s not a guarantee, it’s worth taking a chance on, especially considering Dorsey will be on a two-way contract.

Dorsey has averaged 6.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in his short NBA career. Overseas, he’s put up 11.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game over 137 games. He played for Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Euroleague and the Israeli Super League, and Olympiacos in Euroleague and Greek Basket League.

Biggest Question

Can Dorsey be 3-and-D player off the bench for the Mavericks? He averaged 35% from deep across 104 games in the NBA. That’s serviceable, but an NBA contender is going to need more consistency than that, especially in the postseason. Dorsey did average 36% in his last NBA season with the Grizzlies, on a nice amount of attempts, 4.4 per game. That shows improvement.

Overseas, he averaged 40% on 4.9 attempts per game from behind the arc, a much better number. Internationally, however, the 3-point line is just a bit closer to the basket than in the NBA. It’s possible there’s a combination of Dorsey’s improvement and the shorter 3-point line that led to the improvement.

Best case scenario

If Dorsey can prove to be a reliable shooter and even average on defense, he’ll find a way onto the regular roster. The Mavericks need shooting. Every NBA team needs shooting. And Dallas especially needs young players who can showcase even one elite basketball skill. Dorsey proving he can be a shooter for a contender would give the Mavericks depth at the guard position. That’s something they need on the court and on their roster sheet, which is woefully short of assets.

Worst case scenario

The worst case scenario for Dorsey isn’t that bad. If he can’t be the shooter the Mavericks need, they’ll move off of him and try out some other young guard on a two-way contract. Dorsey will either try to catch on with another NBA team, or head back to Europe, where he’s found great success.

Season goal

Let it fly. Dorsey needs to get up shots any time he’s on the floor and open. He’ll have to earn Jason Kidd’s trust, especially on defense, but if he can average four attempts per game and shoot 37% from deep, Dorsey will have had a good season.

Overall

Dorsey is a low risk, high reward signing for the Mavericks. He’ll be eager to contribute, as Dorsey passed up significant money in Europe for a chance to catch on in the NBA. If he doesn’t succeed with Dallas, it won’t be for lack of effort. The Mavericks are hoping that Dorsey has found his shot in Europe and will come back to the NBA and prove to be a rotation player for a contender. P.J. Tucker pulled it off, so there’s no reason Dorsey can’t do the same.