DALLAS - Making the most of a veteran core throughout the course of the 2015-16 season, the Dallas Mavericks may have received the biggest boost from the two youngest players on the roster in rookie Justin Anderson and second-year big man Dwight Powell.Falling three games below .500 following a 133-111 loss in Sacramento on March 27, the Mavericks’ playoff chances admittedly looked bleak as the regular season drew to a close. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle then made an executive decision that changed the course of the team’s season, inserting the 22-year-old Anderson and the 24-year-old Powell into the starting lineup. And with the young duo boosting the Mavericks to wins in seven of their final nine games to reach the playoffs for a 15th time in the last 16 years, the organization may look to continue fostering their young talent going into next season.”Well, they’ve both grown because they’ve gained a great experience,” Carlisle said. “The great thing about both of those guys is that their games are relatively simple, and they’ve learned to keep it simple. You know, when you have a definable skill in the NBA and you’re a competitor, you know, you can play and be effective as a younger player, or a more inexperienced player.”In need of a spark following the disappointing display in Sacramento, Carlisle admittedly turned to Anderson and Powell for a boost of energy the next night in Denver. The outcome was a 97-88 victory as Powell’s career-high 16 points and seven rebounds got the Mavericks on track in his first NBA start. Simultaneously, Anderson finished with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, grabbing four rebounds, dishing out two assists, recording two blocked shots and collecting a steal in his second career start.Appearing in 55 games this season and making nine starts, Anderson finished his rookie season averaging 3.8 points and 2.4 rebounds an outing in 11.8 minutes per game. He then stepped up his production in Dallas’ first-round playoff series against Oklahoma City, scoring 14 points, pulling down four rebounds, dishing an assist, recording a block and collecting three steals in a series-clinching 118-104 loss as the Mavericks fell in five games.
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