LAS VEGAS – Because of an injury to Dallas Mavericks point guard Brandon Williams, backup playmaker Jazian Gortman got to start in Wednesday’s NBA 2K25 Summer League game against the Miami Heat.
And what an indelible impression he made.
Gortman collected 19 points, three assists and two steals, and was 7-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-8 from behind the three-point line during the 92-79 loss to the Heat.
“I played pretty solid,” Gortman told Mavs.com. “I got to the rim, I got in the paint, I got some open threes from getting into the paint, and I played pretty fast in transition and really pushed the pace on offense.
“And on defense, I just hounded and made sure I stayed in front of my man and caused havoc.”
Gortman didn’t waste any time getting on the Heat’s bad side as he buried a pair of three-pointers, staking the Mavs to a quick 6-0 lead.
“That’s good,” Gortman 
said. “One reason it’s good is because you know that your shot touch is there early in the game. If it isn’t, it’s OK.
“For someone who can shoot or someone that has a good touch, for them to know that their shot touch is on at the beginning of the game, that’s really good because it can make them feel a little bit better while they’re on the court. I think that was something that happened.”
With Williams unable to play against Miami due to a sprained shoulder, the Mavs know they are fortunate to have someone of Gortman’s ilk to step in.
“Jaz stepped up tremendously,” shooting guard AJ Lawson said. “He had a great game. He showed his capabilities.”
The Mavs, of course, are fully aware of Gortman’s capabilities. That’s why they signed him to a contract last Friday.
A 6-2, 184-pounder, Gortman spent last season playing for the G League’s Wisconsin Heard and Rip City Remix after going undrafted in 2023 out of Overtime Elite. With those teams, Gortman averaged 9.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists in only 19 minutes per contest.
Mavs summer league coach Jared Dudley doesn’t know if Williams will be able to play when they battle the Boston Celtics on Friday at 3:30 p.m. Dallas time from Cox Pavilion in a game that will be televised on Bally Sports Southwest and ESPNU.
“I don’t think (Williams’ injury is) anything too serious,” Dudley said. “We definitely missed him, but Gortman came out and played well (Wednesday).”
Although that may cut into his playing time, Gortman welcomes the return of Williams.
“We missed him a lot,” Gortman said. “He’s a point guard, he gets downhill whenever he wants, he gets open threes, finds teammates, gets to the (free throw) line, can create for himself as well, and get easy drop-offs for our bigs.
“He has been a big piece for us (Wednesday) that we didn’t have. But being a pro, you got to play without the pieces that you have or with the pieces that you have.”
In this case, the Mavs (0-3) just want the pieces that they have to somehow find a way to get a win against the Celtics. And they want the pieces to fall in place when they play their fifth game on Saturday at 10 p.m. against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“Just keep playing hard,” Gortman said. “We’ve been playing real hard. It’s been like the X’s and O’s for us.
“So, (we need to) just clean up the X’s and O’s for us, whether it’s on offense or defense. If we keep playing as hard as we’ve been playing, we’ll get one for sure.”
X: @DwainPrice
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