Heading into NBA Summer League over the next 10 days, Dallas Mavericks fans' eyes will be glued to the likes of Cooper Flagg, Ryan Nembhard, and Miles Kelly, as they will each make their Summer League debut tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers. Flagg, Nembhard, and Kelly are the only three players on Dallas' Summer League squad who already have contracts with the Mavericks (Nembhard and Kelly are on two-way deals while Flagg is on a standard deal), and with the Mavs having an open two-way spot heading into training camp, players will be doing whatever they can to show that they deserve to stick around.
One player who seems like he will be an excellent candidate for this open position is 7-foot-5 center Jamarion Sharp, as he has already made an impact during practice over the last day or so.
Mavericks fans know Sharp well, as he played in NBA Summer League for Dallas last season, got a training camp invite, and was one of the final candidates for Dallas' final two-way deal before they gave it to Jazian Gortman. Sharp spent all of last season with the Texas Legends, the Mavericks' G League affiliate, and now he is in a prime position to go earn a roster spot this time around.
Strong Summer League play could force Mavericks to lock in Sharp
Dallas' frontcourt is loaded, as they already have Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and Dwight Powell as players who can effectively play center, but with Davis and Lively II's injury history, it may be in their best interest to use their last two-way contract on a big. Sharp would immediately become the tallest player on the roster, and even though his game is raw, he would have the chance to learn behind one of the best bigs of this era in Davis.
Thus far at Summer League practice, Mavs coach Josh Broghamer noted that Sharp's conditioning has been his biggest improvement over the last year. Broghamer noted that Sharp has also gotten noticeably stronger, and his dedication to his body and fitness could end up paying off for him majorly in the long run.
"He could do things for one or two possessions but not for longer stretches," Broghamer said of Sharp's performance last season. "That’s something he’s really, really worked hard on and improved on."
Broghamer praised former Legends head coach and recently-hired Mavericks assistant coach Jordan Sears for all of the work that he put in with Sharp last season, and noted that Riley Crean has been working hard with him this summer.
Some things that Broghamer listed when talking about Sharp's potential impact at Summer League included him blocking shots, running the floor, and impacting the game himself for longer stretches. Sharp being able to stay on the floor will be crucial for him this summer and moving forward, as his improvement in this area could ultimately lead to him securing the final two-way spot.
During the open period of practice over the last few days, Sharp has been working hard with coaches Quincy Acy and Cory Jefferson on different drills around the basket and even some mid-range shooting along the baseline (where he was one of the strongest shooters in his group of other bigs), and if he can be a strong finisher at the rim in Summer League, he is going to be even more of an attractive option for Dallas’ last roster spot. He had some powerful slams at Summer League last season, and now that he has Nembhard and Flagg feeding him the ball as he heads to the rim, he should feast.
On top of some open dunks, the thing that makes Sharp stand out most is his rim protection. Last season for the Legends, Sharp averaged over three blocks per game, as he is exceptionally fearless when rising up to block a shot at the rim. He isn’t afraid to get dunked on, and with Nico Harrison being all about defense when building his team, Sharp could catch his attention in that way.
Mavericks fans have a front row seat to see how Sharp’s game has developed over the next week, and if he keeps up the good work that he displayed in practice this week, Harrison could be intrigued enough to sign him. It seems likely that Dallas will wait until right before the regular season to sign someone to that final two-way spot, but with Nembhard being a guard and Kelly being a wing, they may just go with a center.
And thus far, Sharp may be the strongest option at big along with Moussa Cisse.
