Nico Harrison to represent Dallas Mavericks at NBA Draft Lottery Selection

According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks will be represented by general manager Nico Harrison at next week’s NBA Draft Lottery selection event. Tuesday’s televised festivities, in which draft order for lottery selections is determined, will be packed full of anxiety for the Mavericks organization and their fans. The team is teetering on the edge of forfeiting their pick to the New York Knicks.

This will be a first for Harrison representing the Mavericks on stage, a duty he surely did not anticipate taking on so early in his Dallas tenure. But the Mavericks tripped and stuttered their way through a 38-win season, even controversially resting players to end the season for a better shot at keeping this pick — perhaps even the slightest chance of jumping up to select Victor Wembanyama with the first pick.

A lot of superstitious energy and strategy is put into team representatives. It isn’t uncommon to see current stars, former star players, or lovable personalities from around an organization take the stage for this event. Though quite literally all the person does is sit on stage, smile, and sweat out 15 minutes of reading names.

The Mavericks appear to have opted for a straight down the middle approach in sending Harrison to sit and listen to the names being called. Maybe it’s good they are sending a fresh face — I needn’t remind you that the Mavericks have never moved up in the draft order. Ever. So everyone else that has represented the team has failed. If Harrison pulls this off — again just sitting, smiling, sweating — and the Mavericks jump up, he immediately becomes the most important figure in team history.