The last time the Dallas Mavericks acquired an Aussie, it was the Disaster from Down Under.
Josh Green cannot be worse than Chris Anstey.
Green was born and raised mostly in Australia before he came over to the U.S., and now he is a Mav. The University of Arizona small forward was the 18th overall pick on Wednesday night in the first round of the NBA Draft.
The only other time the Mavs went with an Aussie on draft night was 1997, when they dealt forward Kelvin Cato to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Anstey, who was also the 18th overall pick.
Anstey lasted two seasons with the Mavs, one with the Chicago Bulls, and he was out of the NBA.
Take this one to Vegas: Josh Green will be a better pro than Chris Anstey.
The selection of Green started an evening that focused on improving the Mavericks on the perimeter defensively. With offense not a problem, the defense is so the Mavericks used draft night to address that glaring problem.
"We need wing defenders who can shoot and score. We think he's a ready-to-go 3-and-D guy, and think he has the ability to make plays," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said shortly after the pick was announced.
There was such an emphasis on the wing the Mavs sent 3-point shooter Seth Curry to the Philadelphia 76ers for small forward Josh Richardson. Richardson averages 12.4 points in five NBA seasons.
Seth ain't Steph', but he did shoot 45.2% from 3-point range last season.
Also included in the deal, the 76ers sent the draft rights to their second round pick, the 36th selection, Colorado forward Tyler Bey. Bey was the Pac 12's Defensive Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-6, 20-year-old Green played one season at Arizona, where he averaged 10.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He was the Wildcats' third-leading scorer.
"We're not done yet," Mavs GM Donnie Nelson said after the draft picks were done late Wednesday night.
Take that how you want, but the Mavs will find other pieces when free agency begins. They are not going to rely on just rookies for upgrades.
Green is an athletic defender who looks like he may be able to do some scoring in the NBA. The Mavs badly needed a perimeter defensive player, and Green should be able to do that.
"I've always watched the Mavericks," Green said via Zoom. "For me to say I'm a part of this organization is crazy. I am stoked right now."
Don't expect much from Green this season.
Don't expect much of this entire rookie class this season.
None of these players have played in competitive games since the middle of March, and now they are in an NBA that is scheduled to begin on Dec. 22.
That gives them one month to get ready for their first NBA season. Go get 'em, champ.
"This will be the most challenging situation for a rookie class that we've ever seen in this league," Carlisle said. "Short turnaround. No summer league. One of the reasons we drafted Josh was his level of maturity. He's an international player by nature. Probably a little bit more worldly than your average college draft prospect."
If Green becomes a rotation player as a rookie, something has gone terribly wrong for the Mavs, or a lot of NBA GMs blew it by not selecting him earlier than 18.
Like virtually every rookie drafted in this era, the Mavs drafted Green based on potential upside. He looks like he can be a player.
He may be, but just don't expect him to do much this season, but eventually be better than Chris Anstey.
With their second draft pick, the Mavericks selected Stanford point guard Tyrell Terry with the 31st pick. He played one season at Stanford and averaged 14.6 points per game, and shot 40% from 3-point range.
