After winning 11 of their last 12 games, the Dallas Mavericks ran into a brick wall in their NBA Cup quarterfinal match against the Oklahoma City Thunder. A combination of lack of creativity between Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic and the Mavs' big men getting clamped, resulted in the team's 118-104 loss in OKC.
While the Mavericks were without P.J. Washington in this game, he has proven to be an unstoppable force over the last few weeks. Not only has Washington been on a tear, but after losing to the Thunder, Mavs fans have praised Washington for how well he has played and how important he has become to Dallas' success.
One concern fans have had with Dallas' current roster has been the lack of forward depth off the bench with longtime fan-favorite forward Maxi Kleber continuing to struggle this season. While this is a concern that the team needs to address at the trade deadline, Olivier-Maxence Prosper has broken onto the scene as a potential Kleber replacement who deserves a bigger role.
Prosper is the answer to solving Mavs' depth concerns
One concern fans have had throughout the season has been the lack of depth at the forward spot for the Mavericks. With Kleber struggling to stay healthy and not playing well, it has left a massive gap off the bench.
An easy answer at the start of the year would be to insert Prosper and give him legit minutes, but after playing badly during Summer League, Prosper's role in Dallas became a huge question mark.
Despite struggling to find minutes throughout this season, Prosper has made the most of his time on the floor. Over the last few games, Prosper has seen an increased role off the bench and has played excellently in his limited time on the floor.
Against the Toronto Raptors, Prosper played ten minutes in a reserve role and became an important part in the Mavs getting out of Toronto with a win. Prosper proved to be a vital piece on the offensive end, but he also hauled in six boards on Saturday night.
After his promising performance against the Raptors, Prosper followed it up with a statement game in Oklahoma City. In 12 minutes, Prosper became one of the few positive players that Jason Kidd could rely on against the Thunder.
Prosper cashed in six points while going 2-2 from behind the arc. In addition to his offensive output, he played excellent defense throughout the game which netted him more minutes in the fourth quarter.
Prosper was drafted as a wing with defensive upside who could work into becoming a reliable offensive player. After not playing much during his rookie season, Prosper has made a visible leap in his game on both ends of the floor.
For a large part of his professional career, he has struggled to knock down threes at a consistent rate; however, this has been far from the truth over the last week. In his previous two games, Prosper has gone 3-4 from behind the arc but has impressed most with his ability to play whatever role the team needs.
In OKC, Prosper made it difficult for any Thunder player to receive a pass due to his wiry defensive capabilities. When playing on-ball defense, Prosper proved to be a real pest by making it difficult for the opposing player to put the ball down and dribble in space.
It's still apparent that Prosper will need time before he can become a complete wing, but this could be the start of something special if he gets an adequate role off the bench.
Prosper still needs to improve on both ends of the floor, but he has proven he can become a reliable piece in a bigger role off the bench.
