9. Dallas Mavericks – Lauri Markkanen, F/C, Arizona
Lauri Markkanen certainly passes the eye test for Dirk 2.0. He is a European big with size, solid grasp of fundamentals and a great shooting touch. Markkanen left Arizona with a more than respectable 42.3 three point percentage.
In the era of spacing and shooting forwards and centers, he seems perfectly suited for the role. He stands 7 feet tall and weighs 200 lbs and has shown glimpses of a well shaped talent during his lone year in college.
Under the guidance of coach Carlisle he is bound to get better over time. Even if he does not live up to the hype or the potential, and truthfully that is an extremely high bar, he will serve as a rotational big who curves defenses open with his elite shooting. Not a bad choice for the Mavericks, keeping in mind that there were no sure-thing game changers available at no 9.