From nearly signing with the Celtics to betting on himself with the Mavericks, a key figure in this year's NBA Finals almost joined Boston's pursuit of Banner 18. Now, he stands in the way of it.
The Mavericks are led by the high-powered offensive duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who each generated 36 points in Dallas' closeout win over the Timberwolves to reach the NBA Finals.
Dallas' role players are completely bought in on jobs that require them to stay ready while operating in a system where the ball is almost always in Doncic and Irving's hands. That's led to the seven-year veteran going from exclusively coming off the bench for the Bulls last season to starting in 66 of the 76 regular season games he played in the 2023-24 campaign. He's remained a fixture in the Mavericks' first unit for all 17 of its playoff matchups.
The 27-year-old, whose condor-like wingspan stretches 6'11.9," does his best work on the defensive end, where he will serve as a crucial figure in Dallas' attempts to slow down Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
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