John Jenkins had interest from several teams this offseason, but the former No. 23 overall pick is optimistic about his decision to sign with Dallas, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.
“I feel great about it,” Jenkins said. “I think I needed a fresh start, and the Mavericks are giving me that opportunity. I waited longer than I thought I’d have to wait, as crazy as it was, but it was well worth it going to this team and for their interest in me. It feels good to be wanted and to go out there and be a part of what is going on with their team is great.”
The guard was vaunted for his shooting ability prior to the 2012 Draft and he has shown the potential to be an offensive weapon since coming into the league. Jenkins shot 37.5% from behind the arc in limited playing time during his first three seasons. New addition Wesley Matthews is expected to be ready for opening night after recovering from an Achilles injury, but if the Mavs choose to proceed with caution and limit the 28-year-old’s minutes, Jenkins could see significant playing time right off the bat. Owner Mark Cuban expects big things from the shooting guard and gave him some advice after the team signed him last week.
“He told me just to make buckets,” said Jenkins. “That’s what I do best, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Here’s more from The Lone Star State:
- The deals that Brandon Ashley and Jamil Wilson signed with the Mavericks cover three seasons and each has a partial guarantee of $50K for this year, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- The Mavs also renounced their rights to Bernard James, though they did the same last year and still re-signed him, Pincus points out (on Twitter).
- Jimmer Fredette‘s deal with the Spurs is a one-year, minimum-salary arrangement with $507,711 partially guaranteed, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
It will probably take a year for Matthews to regain his form. You rarely see athletes pick up where they left off after an Achilles injury. And I don’t see a grand career revival for Deron Williams, though he’ll still help the Mavs more than Rondo did last season. Ultimately, Dallas looks like a No. 7 or 8 seed at best despite having a superior coach.