Much has been asked of Jeremy Evans throughout training camp, but the big man delivered last night in the preseason opener against the Denver Nuggets.

Evans’ final line in the box score — 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks — doesn’t entirely do justice to the level at which he performed in his Mavs exhibition season debut. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle has worked the 6-foot-9 big man at both forward positions as well as center so far. Evans is the only player on the team who’s been asked to learn three positions by heart to this point.

“He’s a hard worker and all that, but he has the skill set. He has the athletic ability,” Carlisle said before last night’s game. “He’s shooting the ball now to three-point range. I’m confident he can guard all those positions. He’s a guy we’re gonna need to play multiple spots.”

The talk was that Evans might be used as a hybrid between former game-changing Mavs athletes Brandan Wright and Al-Farouq Aminu. Wright, who matches Evans’ size and frame, for years was the roll man in the high-powered second unit offense. Meanwhile, Aminu defended all five positions at different times last season, guarding power forward LaMarcus Aldridge on the last night of the regular season before squaring off against shooting guard James Harden in the playoffs.

On top of filling the roll man responsibilities, however, Carlisle has also asked Evans to shoot threes, something he’s never done previously throughout his career. Those are two big pairs of shoes for one man to fill, requiring not only superb athleticism but also plenty of talent, but Evans appeared to be up to the challenge last night — even if was a little intellectually demanding.

“My main focus was coming in, trying to make sure I didn’t forget the plays,” he joked after the game. “So that was the biggest thing coming out at first. I think I did fairly well, so I just want to continue building on it.”

What got Evans to the NBA was his next-level athleticism and lengthy physical frame. But what could make him stand out in Dallas is augmenting that with a three-point shot and high motor on both ends of the floor, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. In the play below, Evans breaks up a lob to the rim and then blocks the follow-up attempt.

That’s a play that maybe only a handful of human beings can make. Evans displayed the anticipation to read the developing action — although he was at that time technically the small forward, he was still protecting the rim — and he was springy enough to jump a second time to block the shot.

Center Zaza Pachulia had stepped out to the defend the pick-and-roll, leaving Evans all alone to hold down the paint. But when you have a small forward who can make those kinds of athletic plays at the rim, you can afford the luxury of sending your big man out in an effort to halt a screen-roll.

Here’s another example of Evans’ athleticism on display. He single-handedly wiped out a transition opportunity by covering a lot of ground and blocking the shot, launching a Mavs fast break the other way.

Those are the plays that shift momentum and win you games. Evans was on the opposite side of the lane but was still able to cover enough ground through the air to get into position to contest the shot. His length, verticality, and quickness in the open floor are some of his greatest assets defensively, so it only makes sense for Dallas to put him in position to highlight those strengths. On most nights, that could mean protecting the basket. And despite struggling from three-point range — he missed each of his three attempts, although two were in-and-out — he still made the effort on the other end.

“If you’re not hitting shots, you gotta contribute somehow,” he said. “So the best way is defense. I felt like, position-wise, I was there and just able to get there and help my teammates on the weakside, and block shots and get rebounds.”

One of the most promising plays of the night by any player came on the offensive side of the ball. Evans, facing a close-out, drove the baseline and found Devin Harris in the corner for three. Most guards at this level can make that play on almost a routine basis, but don’t take that ability for granted. Evans is a power forward by trade and he could assume some small-ball center duties for the Mavs this season. If he’s able to put the ball on the floor and make plays like that as a center, the Dallas offense is going to cause mismatches all over the place.

Mark down this one as a strong performance from Evans in his team debut. In addition to a vicious dunk and another block elsewhere in the contest, the big man was able to contribute on both sides of the ball. Despite his heavy workload, both physically and mentally, the forward has impressed so far during his time in Dallas.

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