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Exclusive: Mavs' O-Max Prosper Speaks on G League Assignment, Development, More

Originally posted on FanNation Dallas Basketball
By Grant Afseth | Last updated 11/12/23

FRISCO — The Dallas Mavericks assigned rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper to the G League before departing for New Orleans on Saturday. He played with the Texas Legends in Frisco against the Oklahoma City Blue, finishing with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block in the 114-110 victory.

"My first goal was really just to come in and come in and try to help this team get a win," Prosper told DallasBasketball.com. "That's the biggest thing, you know, as a competitor would have come in and impact winning. And that was my main thing by doing the things I could control.

"For me, this game was big because I haven't played a game like heavy minutes in a minute. So, I just wanted to come in, get my rhythm, and do the little things that can help this team get a win, especially but it lost last night to this team, you know, trying to help them bounce back, and I thought we did that for sure."

Prosper, who played five minutes in the Mavs' 144-126 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, has a chance to potentially log minutes in some capacity in three consecutive days between his time with the main club and the Legends. He appreciates getting a "real game" under his belt and is esctactic to potentially appear in a game in three straight days.

"It's awesome. It's all great stuff. As a guy who loves playing this game, you want to compete at the highest level, and for me, this game was really good for me because it helped me just get back in the rhythm of playing. As I go back to the Mavs now, I've got a real game under my belt, and I feel more confident when I get on the court with the Mavs.

"This game was great for me. And then three games in a row, I love it," Prosper explained. "I just have, to make sure I rest well and take care of my body, but I'll take that any day."

Prosper scored his first NBA points on Friday, which he described as feeling like "breaking the ice" in his career. After having that moment of arrival at the sports' highest level, he is focused on continuing to grow within his game and role.

"It's like breaking the ice, really," Prosper said. "It's a great, great relief, getting your first point and now it's on, you broke the ice, that's a relief off your shoulders. And then now, we're rolling and that's all good."

Luka Doncic made it a point to save the game ball from Friday's win for Prosper to appreciate scoring his first NBA points. Prosper shared his great appreciation for Doncic's gesture of saving the game ball for him and praised his teammates for how they've treated him in his rookie season, highlighting them as great mentors.

"Nah, it means a lot. It means the world, I mean," Prosper said. "My teammates have been great with me since the first time I set foot here in Dallas, they've been great. Just helping me, being great mentors for me. And just seeing that they care about that, they were so happy for me. It really meant a lot.

"It really showed that they cared about me and want me to succeed," Prosper explained. "And it was great to see Luka do that for me."

In terms of his development, Prosper continues to put in a lot of time in to refine his game, whether it's shooting, attacking downhill, or learning the nuances of the Mavs' concepts.

"I've put a lot of time in the gym, even though you don't see me playing on the court, but behind the scenes, in practice, after practice. I put a lot of work on my shooting," Prosper said. "I work on my ability to get downhill, get fouled. Defensively, just learning all the concepts and being one step ahead defensively so when I come on the floor with the Mavs, I know what I'm doing and everything. So, just those little things.

"My energy and the way I impact the game just through my rebounding and everything, that's always something I'm going to do regardless," Prosper explained.

It's common for players to have particular parts of their shooting mechanics to emphasize early in their career as they work to become more consistent as a shooter. Prosper is currently focused on his footwork and sticking his landing to stay on balance as opposed to swaying left or right.

"Making sure I step in with the right footwork and when I shoot, I stick my landing,stay on balance, and I don't sway left or right," Prosper said. "That's the biggest thing for me. Once I'm on balance, and I shoot it, I stick landing; that's when it's usually good."

As far as what reads he's emphasized when continuing to study the game, Prosper has emphasized learning the ins and outs of complement his superstar teammates like Doncic and Kyrie Irving, seeing where he can do the little things to make an impact.

"Honestly, it's just being able to play off Luka and Kyrie and seeing opportunities where I can cut, pportunities where I can drift to open shots, especially when they draw two people," Prosper said. "Opportunities where I can come and screen and roll and short pocket. Just seeing where, how they attack and where I can try to get cuts or get open shots.

"That's really what I'm looking at because playing off those guys, you're going to get a lot of those because there's going to be a focus on them and being seen where I can get open shots, that's the biggest thing, for sure," Prosper explained.