DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks draft pick is in! The Mavs selected French forward Melvin Ajinça with the 51st pick of the 2024 NBA Draft.
The Mavericks moved up from the last pick in the draft to the 51st spot after a trade with the New York Knicks. The Mavericks gave up their 58th pick and cash considerations.
Who is Melvin Ajinça?
Ajinça was born in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, France. The 20 year old stands at 6-feet-8-inches and has played professional basketball since 2022.
Before the draft, Ajinça played professionally for Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball, a team in France's LNB Pro A league. He also played international ball in the 2023 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup. There, he averaged 19.3 points, 2.9 rebound and 1.6 assists, leading France to the final, where the team lost to Spain.
"[Melvin] can shoot, play 3-and-D ... he's young, huge upside," Mavericks GM Nico Harrison said of Ajinça. "He has a chance to be really good. Last year, he as Pro B Young Player of the Year. This year, he played in Pro A really well. So, we're excited."
Ajinça might be a familiar name to die-hard NBA fans. His cousin, Alexis Ajinça played for four NBA teams, including the Dallas Mavericks.
Harrison told media members that Ajinça's availability is flexible, given that he's playing overseas and there are limited roster spots available.
"That's the beauty of his age and the fact that he is playing in Europe is that we can kind of figure it out as we go," Harrison said.
How many French players were selected in this year's draft?
Five Frenchmen were drafted in the 2024 NBA Draft in total: Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Tidjane Salaun, Pacome Dadiet and Melvin Ajinça.
Four were selected in the first round, and just one, Ajinça, was selected in the second round.
"If you've been to France at all in the last few years, they have a huge basketball culture," Harrison said of France's uptick of talent coming to the NBA. "Jordan [Brand] has done their Quai 54 over there every year and you feel like you're at Rucker Park. The basketball culture is really prevalent over there and kids are gravitating towards it."