Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving stole the show on Friday night at American Airlines Center, scoring a combined 71 points en route to a 144-126 win to push the Dallas Mavericks to a 7-2 record to start the season.
Although the game was a star-studded affair on both sides, one subplot was Mavs rookie forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper scoring the first point of his career. Prosper didn't get a lot of run, as he played just five minutes and only score the one point by splitting a pair of free throws, but he also got some experience guarding an elite scorer in Clippers star James Harden in the first half.
Throughout his career, Doncic has made it a point to give Mavs rookies the game ball when they score their first career points, and Friday night was no exception, as Doncic had the game ball pinned to his side during his postgame interview, waiting to give it to Prosper in the locker room. It is a small, but thoughtful gesture from Doncic, as he remembers how special it was for him to score his first NBA points and wants other rookies to have those memories forever as well.
So far, Prosper hasn't made the immediate impact for the Mavs that he planned on making after putting in an offseason full of hard work. The 21-year-old 6-8 forward has a lot of potential, but he's still a raw work in progress. Given Prosper's excellent work ethic, though, there's no doubt that there will be many more NBA points coming his way in the future.
"I do feel like I'm ready," Prosper told DallasBasketball.com during the summer when talking about the physical aspect of the NBA. "Especially spending three years in college, it prepared me a lot for that. Being more experienced through that over your typical one-and-done [prospect]."
We'll see if Prosper ended up getting more run as this season progresses. A lot can happen during an 82-game schedule, and the Mavs could always use a little more size on the wing, so anything is possible if Prosper keeps putting the work in.
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