Rodrigue Beaubois' long awaited season debut is finally upon us.
Beaubois returned to practice earlier this week and, after reporting no ill effects in his left foot, will see his first action of the season later tonight.
How many minutes he plays is still up in the air. But he could play a "significant" role in tonight's game if Barea is unavailable.
Rick Carlisle was excited about Beaubois' potential impact on the Mavericks, but stressed that Beaubois still has a lot to learn.
"I know that he can elevate our team in a lot of areas on the one hand. On the other hand, we're talking about a kid who has established only one line of consistency, that is playing 2-guard when Jason Kidd is playing the 1.
"So my job as coach, and our job as a franchise, is to get him in a position to be more consistent on an all-around basis, and that's going to be extremely challenging given all these circumstances."
More after the jump, including sexy Beaubois video...
Beaubois is extremely raw. Let us not forget that 2 years ago Beaubois was playing in a French Pro League. Adjustments will have to be made. That said, Beaubois can help the Mavericks in a lot of areas they have been lacking in this season.
Beaubois will immediately give the Mavericks' an athletic penetrating guard capable of breaking down defenses on a whim. A lot of times last season, Beaubois was the only Maverick to attack the basket and to have that on this team will be a nice change. Not to mention his ability to stretch the floor by shooting threes at a 40% clip last season. And who can forget the dunks?
He also gives them a defender that can keep up with the speed and agility of the best point guards in the league. Some of you may remember this game against the Milwaukee Bucks last year. Brandon Jennings had been tormenting the Mavericks, and Jason Kidd in particular, all game. Carlisle inserted Beaubois into the game and he preceded to shutdown Jennings from the fourth quarter into the overtime period. Though his tendency to get lost on defensive assignments is a concern, I suspect that will get rectified as his playing time increases and he becomes more and more accustomed to playing on NBA level defensive schemes.
While expectations should rightly be tempered, it's hard not to get excited about Beaubois' return.
Rodrigue Beaubois Mix - "The Rookie Sensation" [HD] (via cp3action)