A new era is dawning on the NBA. Small ball may be a thing of the past. After all, there is a 7'4″ two-way monster primed to take over the league in Victor Wembanyama. The Dallas Mavericks appear to be wary of this threat; after all, they have 7'1″ Dereck Lively II on the roster who appears to be as equipped as anyone in the association to take on the assignment of defending Wembanyama.

But the Mavericks know that dealing with Wembanyama is not a one-man job. It will take a village to prevent Wembanyama from completely conquering the league, and what better way for them to do so than to bring in someone whose size rivals that of Wembanyama's.

During preseason action, the Mavericks turned the heads of fans by bringing in rookie Jamarion Sharp, a 7'5″ center who wasted no time in showing off his rim-protection skills during Dallas' preseason defeat against the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Bleacher Report (@bleacherreport)

Fans took notice of how Sharp appeared to earn his place on the Mavericks roster not just by being huge, but by showcasing some tangible skills that could be of help to the team. Seven-foot or taller behemoths tend to move slower than the average professional basketball player, but Sharp showed some quickness and athleticism, and fans were impressed.

“Seen clips of Jamarion Sharp, a 7’5 that moves like that has a place in the league to say the least, lot of potential Luka might cook with him on the floor,” X user @itscoronavirusb wrote.

“They gotta be making these mfs in a lab cuz who tf is Jamarion Sharp and why does he have a demigod build,” @KelzActually added.

“Jamarion Sharp has some really insane defensive upside. What do you even do against a guy this giant. The Jazz definitely didn't know last night- look at Walker Kessler on the bench after Hendricks gets blocked 😂,” @finleykuehl furthered.

Related Dallas Mavericks NewsArticle continues below
Cooper Flagg talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago.
Jason Kidd all but confirms Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg draft intentions
Chris Paul in a Mavericks jersey in front of image. Place Mavericks Anthony Davis and Mavericks Kyrie Irving in background. Also place Duke Cooper Flagg in background.
Why Mavericks must pursue Chris Paul amid rumored point guard interest

Will Jamarion Sharp make the Mavericks' opening night roster?

The Mavericks signed Jamarion Sharp to a one-year deal earlier in the offseason, as per Chris Haynes of TNT. But his roster status for opening night remains very much up in the air. It's likely that the Mavericks signed Sharp to an Exhibit 10 deal so they could keep him on the organization, perhaps for G-League reps.

The Mavericks' center rotation appears to be set. It's looking likely that Daniel Gafford will continue to start at the five in a platoon partnership with Dereck Lively II. If the Mavs need to space the floor, they could always turn to Maxi Kleber as a small-ball five, with PJ Washington also being an option. Dwight Powell is still around as well to provide some veteran help.

Thus, Sharp may be destined for the G-League; at 23 years old, he'll be getting some valuable developmental time in the NBA's minor leagues.

In 354 games during his collegiate career, Sharp averaged over 3.7 blocks per contest. Perhaps if the Mavericks deal with injury problems to their centers, Sharp could get his NBA cup of coffee.