Cuban thinks Parks did ‘really well’ in Mavs Summer League debut

Photo from sports agent Charlie Dy’s Instagram post.

Bobby Ray Parks Jr. didn’t have a lot of time to show what can really do in his debut as part of the Dallas Mavericks Summer League team given just three minutes of playing time.

But those three minutes and 19 seconds of action in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans were enough to earn positive remarks from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

READ: Ray Parks Jr. plays with Dallas Mavs in NBA summer league

Cuban gave Parks another shot to fulfill his dreams of making it to the NBA with an invitation to be part of the Mavericks lineup in the Summer League after going undrafted in last month’s draft.

Now, it’s up to the 22-year-old to prove he deserves a spot.

“He’s going to have to work hard to prove that he belongs,” Cuban said of Parks, who had a foul and a turnover Sunday (Manila time), in an interview mavsmoneyball.com. “I think he did really, really well.”

Cuban also noticed that Parks let the pressure get the better of him with the presence of Filipinos at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, all rooting for the former National University standout.

“You could tell that [Parks] was really, really nervous,” Cuban said. “He had some fellow countrymen there and that made him a little bit more nervous.”

Cuban also said Parks has a lot to work on. And while making the cut remains a long shot for Parks, the bottomline is he’s given an opportunity to prove himself.

“He’s got to improve there’s no question about it. But he’s here and showed he belongs and he’s got a chance.”

That chance presented itself again when the 6-foot-4 Parks was inserted into the game against the Portland Trail Blazers Monday (Manila time).

Seeing longer minutes, Parks was able to draw the foul and put his name on the scoreboard after splitting his free throws. He also had an offensive rebound early in the second quarter.

Second-year forward Dwight Powell led the Mavericks, who lost to the Blazers, 93-80, with 25 points.