THE The Dallas Mavericks‘wing signature’ Naji Marshall this offseason, as well as a two-way player Kessler Edwardsmay have created more obstacles for the former first-round pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper to find playing time in Dallas.

Playing three seasons for Marquette, averaging 12.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in his final season, Prosper demonstrated his ability to score inside the arc, where he shot 62.4 percent from two-point range. He also showed a knack for three-point shooting, and while he wasn’t extremely consistent, he made about 34 percent of his shots from beyond the arc during his junior season.

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Traded to the Mavericks after being selected 24th overall by the Sacramento Kings, Prosper played 40 games for Dallas last season and, in 8.4 minutes per game, averaged 3.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists. His main problem, however, was his inefficiency: he shot just 38.5 percent from the field and 28.9 percent from three-point range.

He’s never been an elite three-point shooter and without being in rhythm due to a lack of playing time, it’s hard to fault him for his difficult shooting. However, his 32/73 from three-point range is concerning. He’s also struggled to create for himself, and with a field goal percentage of just 44.7%, his overall scoring ability will be questioned.

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Prosper’s best quality is his on-ball defense, something he’s shown in spurts this season, though once again his limited playing time has hurt his impact. Competing with newcomer Kessler Edwards, who has a very similar skill set and more experience, Prosper will need to step up his offensive production, especially on shots near the basket.

At the basket, he averaged only 1.04 points per shot, which, according to Sports Synergyranks him in the 16th percentile in that category. On non-dunk attempts, he averaged 0.74 points per shot, which was near the bottom of the NBA. His finishing needs to improve, or he won’t be playable for a Mavericks team that relies heavily on finishing cutters.

Overall, Prosper has a lot of work to do to be a big part of a contending team, and most of the time, he needs to work on the offensive end. He needs to solidify his interior game to be effective and more reliable from deep. If he can improve those two areas, he could be a surprise piece for this Mavericks team.

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