In last night’s NBA draft, Ahmad Nivins had to wait for 4 1/2 hours but eventually was picked by Dallas Mavericks in the 56th pick just 5 minutes before midnight. Mavericks picked Saint Joseph’s senior Ahmad Nivins after averaging 19.2 points and 11.8 rebounds last season. Ahmad Nivins finished his Saint Joseph’s career as the 3rd leading scorer and 6th best rebounder.
Ahmad Nivins never went to Dallas for workout; Mavericks must have seen him during his NBA workout because he had 12 workouts with the teams.
Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle and general manager Donnie Nelson called Ahmad Nivins after his selection and told him that they were not expecting him to be in the draft for that long but they were keeping an eye on him.
Ahmad Nivins spend much of his early life as a baseball pitcher; the thought of drafting him at this point by NBA is just an extreme long shot. On the other hand, Nivins 6ft9 is a remarkable athlete and has a beautiful footwork, though he played near the basket for Saint Joseph’s but that was the requirement by the team. To be successful in the NBA he will have to prove that he can also play away from the basket.
In the last season, Ahmad Nivins was U.S’s most competent offensive player; he averaged nation’s best 1.83 points per shot. He was a rock-hard player as a junior.
Ahmad Nivins
Ahmad Nivins
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