March and April are the best times of the year for basketball fans.
Late March and into April are March Madness and the NCAA Tournament, followed immediately by the NBA Playoffs. There's no other season like this. Dallas Mavericks and basketball fans are in heaven right now.
The Mavs have now won four straight after Tuesday night's win over the Sacramento Kings, and everything seems to be going well.
The bond between Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving continues to grow, and the atmosphere in Dallas is perfect.
There's still plenty of time left in the NBA season, but it's never too early to consider potential draft picks. Especially since the Mavericks own the pick this year. Dallas owns a second-round pick from the Boston Celtics this year in the Grant Williams trade, and even though it's a second-round pick, Dallas has a chance to grow here. Teams always strike gold with second-round picks, and this could be Dallas' chance to get even better.
In ESPN's latest 2024 NBA mock draft by Jonathan Giboney and Jeremy Wu, the Mavericks are selecting 6-foot-11 center Oso Ighodalo on the market.
This season for Marquette, Ighodaro is averaging 13.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 58.1 percent from the field. Although Ighodalo is a bit behind heading into the NCAA Tournament, he is still averaging 7.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 53.8 percent from the field.
Ighodaro serves as Marquette's defensive anchor, and his potential as a four- or five-man guard at the rim is intriguing. He can move his feet with fast players on the perimeter, but he can also protect the rim. Ighodaro is very thin, but his height and 7-foot-5 wingspan make him a great disruptor.
Ighodaro has his limits in terms of attack. He gets most of his points at the rim or in the pick-and-roll, but he has good athleticism and footwork. Ighodalo scores well in transition, but he is an underrated scorer off the dribble against slower defenders.
Ighodalo played with Olivier-Maxence Prosper at Marquette, and the two were a great fit on the floor. He'll need some improvement as a shooter to play power forward in Dallas, but he'd be an interesting addition to the Mavs' young core.
He'll be a rim protector who can play fourth and fifth off the bench, and an elite defensive frontcourt on the floor next to Derek Lively II and Daniel Gafford. He and Prosper would be interesting players to reunite in the Mavs' frontcourt, but only time will tell if the Mavs are interested in the star player.
Check out the latest information on Olivier-Maxence Prosper and the Dallas Mavericks this season.
