Mavs Select Zeller In NBA Draft

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The Dallas Mavericks made one thing clear during Thursday’s NBA draft. They were searching for pieces to create around power forward Dirk Nowitski and the point guard Deron Williams, the Texas native that the Mavericks hope to acquire when free agency opens on Sunday.

The Mavericks had the 17th pick in the Draft and selected center Tyler Zeller from North Carolina. The Cleveland Cavaliers then gave the Mavericks their 24th, 33rd and 34th picks for the rights of Zeller and also for the Mavs small forward Kelenna Azubuike. The Mavericks also had the 55th pick which they drafted Darius Johnson-Odom from Marquette, but they traded Johnson-Odom to the Los Angeles Lakers for cash.

With the 24th pick, the Dallas Mavericks selected Oregon State shooting guard Jared Cunningham. Cunningham broke 11 school records with the Beavers and was chosen to the All- Pac 12 team in his junior year. He averaged 17.9 points a game with 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his final year with Oregon State.

The highlight of the Mavericks draft came when they drafted center Bernard James from Florida State. James, a 27-year-old Air Force veteran who served three tours in Iraq, was given a standing ovation to celebrate his accomplishments. James averaged 10.8 points and 8.1 rebounds in his senior year as a Seminole.

The Mavericks selected Marquette small forward Jae Crowder with the 34th pick. Crowder averaged 17.5 points and 8.4 rebounds as a senior.

Now that the Mavericks have their hopeful players of the future, they must wait until Sunday to see if they can sign their final piece to the puzzle.