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Mavericks introduce Draft picks Satnam Singh and Justin Anderson:
At approximately 12:45 pm in Dallas, the Mavericks franchise officially announced their new players from this year’s NBA Draft: No. 21st overall, Justin Anderson from Virginia State but more importantly the first Indian-born to be Drafted in the NBA, Satnam Singh Bhamara.
“Namaste” that’s how GM Donnie Nelson began the press conference on Wednesday afternoon.Welcoming a new era for the Mavs and their D-League team the Texas Legends, Nelson along with Head Coach of the Mavs Rick Carlisle and Head Coach of the Legends Nick Van Exel shared the team’s plan to play Satnam in the D-League in order to gain experience playing alongside NBA caliber talent.
Here’s the official twitter account of Texas Legends posting Singh in his official Mavs jersey:
Notes from Press conference
GM Nelson seems confident about the NBA player within Singh and looks to help that player evolve with lot of D-League playing time:
“His status is a little bit different. He’ll join us in Summer League and he will not take up a roster spot, which is a unique way for him to develop under the Mavericks umbrella. He’ll be a Maverick, but he’ll be playing for the Texas Legends because we feel like there’s a player under there, and there’s an opportunity for him at the age of 19, and as we progress and he works with head coach Nick Van Exel, that we’ll be able to unveil that player.”
Head Coach Carlisle on Singh’s unique talent and the team’s short-term plan for him:
“Well, hes 7-2 with great hands and a great touch. He’s got a chance. And he’s going to have a lot of support here. The decision to basically make him a D-Leaguer initially is a very good decision. And he understands, he likes it, he’s willing to do it. He needs experience playing over here.
He’s been doing a lot of training, but being in the gym training is not the same as playing game action against NBA-caliber guys in the D-League. There are a lot of them. He’ll have a great opportunity. Guys like this — this size and with the softness of his hands and his footwork — aren’t grown on trees.”
Meanwhile, Singh was asked about his favorite foods and his role as an ambassador:
“Over here I’m just focusing on chicken a lot. My favorite food is chicken. Back home, I like any food. Because my mom makes amazing [food]. I can’t believe it (laughs). I eat any food back home.
“Now I’m just focused on my basketball. … It’s very important to focus on here. I have [a] great team, great coaches, great players and a great opportunity.
Standing at 7 foot 2 inches, Satnam Singh a 19-year-old hails from Chawke village in Punjab. After having pre-Draft workout with almost seven teams (Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics and Portland Trailblazers), Satnam was Drafted 52nd overall by the Mavs on June 26th at the 2015 NBA Draft.
Singh might not be playing in the NBA immediately, but his journey to the league is a huge motivation for youngsters in India to follow their dreams. Playing in the NBA D-League, Singh’s future is in safe hands while his chances of playing in the NBA are still very realistic.
Press Conference:
Guess the Lakers players!
