DALLAS Finishing the 2016-17 season with nine players on the roster 26 years old or younger, the Dallas Mavericks now hope to continue the progression of their emerging youth movement going into next year.

Starting off the season with a 4-17 record while 13-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki missed time due to a right Achilles strain, the Mavericks were forced to turn to their young contributors early and often. The Mavs then saw their young players rally together by the end of the grueling 82-game schedule, despite missing out on the playoffs following a 33-49 campaign. The Mavericks will now attempt to foster their young talent with an extensive offseason training schedule that begins during the month of May. And according to Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, the goal is to help facilitate the growth, chemistry and development of the teams first- and second-year players throughout this summer.

Its going to be busier (this summer) with player development internally than its been, Carlisle admitted. We have a schedule in place. Our first- and second-year guys will be back in mid-May for a couple of weeks, and then mid-June for a couple of weeks. Were going to space out their workouts, so that their bodies can stay fresh, and then prepare them for the Summer League. Weve got to get Yogi (Ferrell) and (Dorian) Finney-Smith and (Nicolas) Brussino and (A.J.) Hammons better. In the first year, theres always going to be an increase in skill level and things like that. Weve just got to be careful not to let these guys plateau. One of the ways we get better is to get better from within.

Weve got to be careful about doing too much too soon, the coach added. So much in this league is really geared towards a group of guys being tied together in the locker room and having a set of definable skills. We want there to be an element of positive predictability within the team, so that everybody knows what everybody can do.

The Mavericks young contributors began to develop definable roles late in the 16-17 schedule while seeing the bulk of the playing time during the final six games of the season. The young Mavs also had their hard work rewarded with a 100-93 win in Memphis during the season finale on April 12, snapping a five-game losing streak to enter the offseason on a high note.

The Mavericks hope to carry the momentum of that victory into the summer, looking to grow the confidence of the young core. That said, each of the young pros will also be asked to grow their own games and come into next season a better player.

A lot of young guys now are just taking it by storm a little bit, and its just more ammo for us to go out there and play even harder for each other, Ferrell explained. We know were young and were going to make mistakes, but thats all a part of the learning process.

I think were excited going forward, 26-year-old combo guard Seth Curry echoed. We showed a lot of things we can build on with young talent. Guys were playing big minutes and playing big moments throughout the season against other great teams and playing well, showing that we can win and not just playing well and just being good. We competed with some of the best teams in the league. And obviously, guys have got to get better going into the offseason. Guys have got to come back and build off the experience they got this year. I think everybody who played and got an opportunity to show what they can do is excited about that.

Much of the teams success next season will come from chemistry on and off the court, according to 25-year-old big man Dwight Powell. That said, the Mavericks hope their budding stars can develop chemistry by spending an extensive amount of time together during the summer.

The Dallas front office also hopes to add another young star capable of stepping in and contributing during the upcoming NBA Draft in June. And with a schedule already in place for the first- and second-year pros to train together in Dallas during the summer, the Mavs see the lessons learned this season serving as motivation for the entire young core.

I mean, chemistry comes down to spending time with one another off the court, playing and having success together, Powell said. We had some trying times this year, but I think it helped us build some strength together and learn a lot about each other during those tough times. That comes with the territory. Guys came in ready to work every day, and I appreciated that. So, at the end of the day, we had a team of guys that wanted to win and wanted to work hard and wanted to be here. You cant ask for more than that. I think the most confidence I have is in guys hunger and guys resolve at the end of the season. They wanted to get better and really are prepared to kind of attack this offseason. I know we all kind of have a bitter taste in our mouths from the whole season and the result at the end of the day, but well try to convert that into motivation for the next few months.

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Mavs see young core building chemistry during summer of training ... - Mavs.com