Dakota Mathias still working toward his NBA shot
After earning opportunities with three NBA franchises following his standout career at Purdue, Dakota Mathias hopes he's now positioned himself for his best chance yet.
While the pandemic has thrown the former Boilermaker a considerable curveball, it did nothing to undo the excellent season he was enjoying for the G-League's Dallas Legends — based in Frisco, Texas — prior to the season's abrupt closure.
"Going into it, I was a little hesitant," Mathias said of his first season in the NBA's developmental league. "It doesn't have a great reputation, from the past. But it was a great year and I think now the G-league is a lot better than people give it credit for. The talent is just getting better and better. The travel is not nearly as bad as people say, things like that. The fans are great. Especially where we were in Frisco. We had sellouts every game, so it was very good.
"The game is very fast, high scoring. And I think, for me, we ran a good system with a lot of shooters coming off screens, a lot of movement, a lot of ball movement. Things like that. It really helped me and I was pleased."
Through 42 games for the Legends, Mathias averaged a little more than 18 points and shot just under 40 percent from three-point range, building on what he'd considered a strong training camp showing with the Dallas Mavericks prior.
"I kind of showed what I could do at that level that that was kind of my goal," Mathias said. "To be able to do a variety of things and just hopefully make that next step. I definitely think I'm on the right path."
But not a linear one, thanks to COVID-19, which cut short the season.
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Mathias is now a free agent and while an NBA opportunity in the short term — a trip to the Disney bubble — remains the hope, another hope is that this year set him up well for next year and whatever opportunities may lie ahead.
"We had about three or four weeks left in our season, and that's kind of when a lot of deals happen for the end of the year and the next year but with everything that kind of happened, it's obviously very unprecedented," Mathias said. "Everything's just kind of been on hold. Obviously the bubble and all that stuff is still a possibility, to get called up, but we'll see. I think free agency starts again in October so I've just kind of stayed in shape and tried to stay ready."
Mathias and his wife, Gabby, just moved to Zionsville. Dakota Mathias is working with trainers in the Indianapolis area. Next week, he'll host his annual youth camps in West Lafayette (at Harrison High School) — and in his hometown of Elida, Ohio.
What comes next remains to be seen. Mathias has previously earned Summer League chances with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, then the training camp invite with the Mavericks. This won't be a normal NBA off-season, but the hope may be that Mathias is positioned better than ever for his next opportunity.
"I've talked to a couple coaches and obviously my agent and we've talked to a few teams and I'm definitely on the shorter list for guys to be called in next year, even with this bubble if things happen," Mathias said. "So I think we're definitely on the right path. I've just got to keep going and keep improving."
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