The Dallas Mavericks emerged as one of the biggest winners of the 2023 NBA Draft. They managed to turn the 10th pick into Dereck Lively II, Richaun Holmes, and Olivier Maxence-Prosper, with the three injecting some much-needed athleticism and defense into a Mavs team that hemorrhaged points to end the 2022-23 season.

And now, it has been interesting to monitor just how ready Lively, Maxence-Prosper, and the other Mavs' youngsters are to contribute to Luka Doncic and company's cause next season, gauging how they could be of value to the team given the way they've performed thus far during the 2023 NBA Summer League.

In addition to the two prospects the Mavs picked up during the 2023 NBA Draft, Jaden Hardy has also suited up for the team in Vegas. Hardy showed flashes of just how good of a contributor he could be, dazzling analysts with his ability to score. But is he ready to take the next step?

With those three players in mind, what are the biggest realizations the Mavs have had thus far, three games into the Vegas Summer League.

Jaden Hardy needs to let the game come to him

Jaden Hardy, unequivocally, is the Mavs' best player during Summer League. Hardy, in his rookie season, showed that he could light the scoreboard up when given the opportunity to do so. He had nine games of 20+ points or more last year, and he had 15 games where he put up multiple triples. To sum it up nicely, Hardy is instant offense — even for a team with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

However, the 2023 NBA Summer League hasn't exactly been kind to the 21-year old guard. Hardy has continued to score in bunches, as he's averaged 23 points through three games thus far. But Hardy has needed a ton of touches just to get that many points. He has taken 54 total shot attempts and made just 19 of them, which is good for just 35.1 percent. It's his ability to get to the line that has been salvaging his rough shooting outings. (He's taken 33 free-throw attempts, making 24 of them, which isn't exactly elite efficiency from the foul line either.)

It's good to see that Jaden Hardy remains aggressive even though his shot hasn't been falling. But the Mavs youngster needs to strike a much better balance between when to attack and when to defer to others, as oftentimes it seems like he's pressing and trying to do too much, leading to some unsightly shooting from the field.

With Hardy now sitting out the rest of Summer League, he won't have an opportunity to bounce back, at least when it comes to his field-goal percentage. But he'll have plenty of film to look over as he tries to become a much smarter player. And at 21 years old, he definitely has time on his side.

Dereck Lively II is raw, but oozes potential

Dereck Lively II shot up draft boards, culminating in his selection as the 12th overall pick. And you could see why, as he just has that “it” factor whenever he's on the court.

For starters, his size is exceptional, and the speed at which he moves despite being as big as he is is frightening. He is exceptionally fast in transition, and whenever he's near the rim, he's a threat to yam it over defenders at any time due to his length. And this speed also translates to defense, as he can slide over from the perimeter to swat some shots away and he can recover quickly when he's beat.

Nevertheless, Lively's game is rough around the edges right now. The Mavs rookie's reading of the game isn't exactly too advanced just yet, so there are times where he could do nothing but foul. Meanwhile, his offensive game needs a lot of polishing. He needs to build more strength as he gets pushed around by defenders on the block, and all he could do to score right now is catch and finish, either with a dunk of layup.

With JaVale McGee, Dwight Powell, Richaun Holmes, and Maxi Kleber above him on the depth chart, Lively may not play too many minutes in his rookie year. But you can clearly see why the Mavs took a chance on him.

Olivier Maxence-Prosper may be more NBA ready than people think

Have the Mavs drafted their new version of Dorian Finney-Smith in Olivier Maxence-Prosper? Aside from the fact that both of them have double-barreled surnames, they sure share a lot of similarities. Both love to crash the glass, both are hounds on defense, and they do most of their damage from beyond the arc on catch and shoots.

However, Maxence-Prosper has shown glimpses of an off-the-bounce game. During Summer League, O-Max has shown that he could become more than just a standstill, 3 and D wing — and given this skillset of his, he may find himself on the Mavs rotation soon — perhaps even earlier than his teammate who was taken 12 spots ahead of him in the draft.