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With the Dallas Mavericks just avoiding dealing their first-round pick to the Houston Rockets as a part of the Lamar Odom deal due to the protections on it, they will have the No. 17 selection in one of the deepest NBA drafts in the last decade.
In Chad Ford's latest mock draft for ESPN Insider, the Mavericks are in line to select UConn sophomore SG Jeremy Lamb, who would be a lottery selection most years:
This would be a very surprising slide if Lamb drops this far. A few GMs believe he's a top 7 or 8 talent. But his laid-back nature and so-so shooting ability have given some teams pause. If he went 10 spots higher I wouldn't be surprised. But if he slipped this low I wouldn't be shocked, either. With the Mavs looking to shore up young talent just about anywhere on their roster, Lamb is a great get at 17.
Lamb, a 6'5 185 shooting guard with a preposterous 7'4 wingspan, is an effortless ball-handler with a smooth outside jumper that he can create almost at will. He's being downgraded for his role in UConn's tremendously disappointing season, but the program's disintegration had more to do with off-court issues than Lamb's production on the court.
In a scouting report I did for SB Nation as a part of the NBA Draft Toolbox back in February, I compared Lamb to Brandon Roy:
Excellent ball-handler and shooter at 6'5, 180 pounds, uses preposterous 7'4 wingspan to create looks at the basket effortlessly. Emerged as second option next to Kemba Walker in UConn's NCAA championship run as a freshman. Averaging 17.7 points a game on 48.4 percent shooting as a sophomore.
It's kind of mind-boggling to believe a player with Lamb's talent would be available with the No. 17 selection, so it will be interesting to watch whether his stock shoots up during the pre-draft season.
Lamb excelled as a part of Team USA's squad in the U-19 world championships in Lithuania last season:
For more coverage of the Mavericks NBA Draft plans in 2012, stay tuned to the SB Nation Dallas storystream as well as Mavs Moneyball, while The UConn Blog has more coverage of Lamb.