{"id":631687,"date":"2026-03-01T05:25:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T05:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/631687\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T05:25:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T05:25:16","slug":"olivier-maxence-prosper-opens-up-about-his-journey-to-memphis-grizzlies-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/631687\/","title":{"rendered":"Olivier-Maxence Prosper Opens Up About His Journey To Memphis Grizzlies [Exclusive]"},"content":{"rendered":"

The building where Olivier-Maxence Prosper<\/a> spent two seasons scrapping for minutes that rarely came his way gave him one of the best nights of his NBA career on Friday.<\/p>\n

Prosper scored 16 points, grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, recorded three steals, and finished a plus-16 in the Memphis Grizzlies\u2019 124-105 dismantling<\/a> of the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> at American Airlines Center. It was the first double-double of his NBA career, achieved against the franchise that quietly let him go last August after 92 appearances and two years of limited opportunity.<\/p>\n

It was the type of performance that can make a former team reflect on the decision to part ways. <\/p>\n

The Draft, the Trade, and the Learning Curve<\/p>\n

Prosper was selected 24th overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2023 NBA Draft and immediately traded to Dallas, arriving as a 21-year-old from Montreal with a reputation as a high-motor wing who could defend multiple positions and run the floor. He had developed his game across two college stops, first at Clemson and then at Marquette, as well as through the NBA Academy Latin America program in San Luis Potos\u00ed, Mexico.<\/p>\n

Over two seasons in Dallas, Prosper averaged 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds across 92 appearances, rarely cracking the rotation on a contending team with no shortage of veteran players around Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/a> and Kyrie Irving<\/a>. He shot just 39.6% from the field and 26.0% from three during his time with the Mavericks, numbers that reflected a player still finding his footing at the NBA level.<\/p>\n

The Business Decision That Set Olivier-Maxence Prosper Free<\/p>\n

The manner of Prosper\u2019s departure from Dallas was less a reflection of his potential than a product of roster math and cap mechanics. <\/p>\n

In late August, the Mavericks waived Prosper before the league\u2019s deadline for the waive-and-stretch provision. Doing so spread his $3 million 2025-26 salary over three seasons, at roughly $1 million per year through 2027, rather than absorbing the full dead cap hit in one season. The move also declined his 2026-27 team option worth nearly $5.3 million.<\/p>\n

The primary motivation was creating the roster spot and apron room necessary to re-sign Dante Exum. Dallas was hard-capped at the second tax apron and needed to clear space, and Prosper\u2019s contract was the expendable piece that solved both problems at once. <\/p>\n

The front office explored trading him first, but other teams wanted a second-round pick attached to absorb the $3 million. The Mavericks decided that cost in draft capital wasn\u2019t worth it. Prosper cleared waivers, became a free agent and landed a two-way contract with Memphis within days. Dallas carried his stretched money as dead cap. Exum did not appear in a single game this season before being ruled out entirely.<\/p>\n

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd acknowledged the role opportunity has played in Prosper\u2019s emergence when asked about his former player Friday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s playing a lot of minutes. They have a lot of injuries, and he\u2019s taken full advantage of that opportunity,\u201d Kidd said.<\/p>\n

What the Dallas Mavericks Gave Him<\/p>\n

Prosper shared his gratitude for his time in Dallas after Friday\u2019s performance. Speaking with DallasHoopsJournal.com<\/a> after the game, he reflected on what those two seasons in Dallas meant to him and why he remains genuinely grateful for the experience despite how it ended.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing I\u2019m most grateful for in Dallas is the people \u2014 my teammates,\u201d Prosper told DallasHoopsJournal.com<\/a>. \u201cThere are great people in that organization. I had a great time with all my teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n

The opportunity to be around elite players on a daily basis left a mark that Prosper described in terms of the conversations and relationships that shaped his development as a professional. He highlighted learning from Don\u010di\u0107 and Irving, along with Anthony Davis<\/a>, while highlighting his continued friendship with fellow 2023 NBA Draft class member Dereck Lively II<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cJust learning from all the veterans \u2014 Kyrie, Luka, AD when he was there \u2014 I learned so much from talking to those guys and being around them every single day,\u201d Prosper told DallasHoopsJournal.com<\/a>. \u201cThose guys are all-time greats. Even just the friendships \u2014 me and Dereck Lively II got drafted together, and we\u2019re really close. I\u2019m still close with him. Those are little things I\u2019ll always remember, and I\u2019m truly grateful for those relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Memphis Grizzlies Open the Door<\/p>\n

Prosper signed with Memphis ahead of this season and spent the early months of the year working his way into a rotation that was already dealing with significant injury attrition. The Grizzlies were missing Ja Morant<\/a> for extended stretches, and the absence of reliable frontcourt depth created an opening that Prosper seized on a two-way contract.<\/p>\n

Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo has watched the development up close and has been among Prosper\u2019s most vocal advocates throughout the season. He described what the 23-year-old has brought to a Grizzlies team navigating its own injury challenges with a directness that left little room for interpretation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of O-Max\u2019s energy is just contagious,\u201d Iisalo told DallasHoopsJournal.com<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s one of the highest-motor players in the whole league. He\u2019s had to basically shift up a position or two spots and is doing a great job. He\u2019s improved his shooting from the outside and is shooting with a lot of confidence. Today, I think he had a career-high 10 rebounds. That\u2019s great to see. Just how he\u2019s improving in the little facets of the game overall, it\u2019s a testament to the hard work he\u2019s putting in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The positional flexibility Iisalo referenced has been central to Prosper\u2019s value. With the Grizzlies also missing Zach Edey<\/a>, Santi Aldama<\/a>, Ty Jerome<\/a>, Cedric Coward<\/a>, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope<\/a>, and Brandon Clarke<\/a> at various points this season, Prosper has been asked to play the three, the four, and at times effectively the five in small-ball lineups. He has absorbed every role adjustment without complaint and delivered in each.<\/p>\n

Prosper described how he has approached the small-ball center responsibility, reframing what might look like a disadvantage as something that actually suits his game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m willing to do whatever the team needs me to do,\u201d Prosper told DallasHoopsJournal.com<\/a>. \u201cObviously, based on roster construction and everything, that\u2019s what I need to do now. For me, I\u2019m like, okay, I\u2019m going to use it to my advantage \u2014 my speed, my quickness, my ability to take bigger guys off the dribble. Playing small ball could be seen as a disadvantage, but I see it as an advantage. My teammates and I are on the same page and able to figure that out on the floor together. I think it\u2019s been a good opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also pointed to the organizational culture in Memphis as a key factor in why the development has accelerated so quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it starts with their culture \u2014 what they\u2019re about,\u201d Prosper told DallasHoopsJournal.com<\/a>. \u201cThey care about the players first. We have a young core now, and with the way we care about each other and focus on getting better every day \u2014 focusing on the little details and wanting everybody to be their best \u2014 I think that will go far. As we get older, we\u2019re going to be a real problem in this league. But it really starts with the culture and the people we have, from the front office and the organization all the way down to the players and everybody around.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Numbers Tell the Story for Olivier-Maxence Prosper<\/p>\n

On the season, Prosper has appeared in 34 games for Memphis, averaging 7.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists across 15.4 minutes per game. He is shooting 53.0% from the field overall and 40.3% from three, both figures that reflect a player who has sharpened his offensive game considerably since his Dallas days.<\/p>\n

In February alone, Prosper averaged 13.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists across 10 games, shooting 56.5% from the field and 44.4% from three in 24.3 minutes per game. He went for 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting against Portland on Feb. 7, then followed it with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting at Denver on Feb. 11. He had 23 points against Utah on Feb. 20 and 17 against Sacramento on Feb. 23 before delivering his career-best performance Friday night against his former team.<\/p>\n

Iisalo credited the shooting improvement specifically as one of the clearest signs of Prosper\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s really improved his shot throughout the season,\u201d Iisalo told DallasHoopsJournal.com<\/a>. \u201cAnd his defense and versatility have really helped us, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slowing the Game Down at the NBA Level<\/p>\n

Prosper himself described the transformation in terms of tempo and rhythm. The more consistent playing time has allowed him to develop a feel for the game at this level that simply never had the chance to take root in Dallas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think for me, number one is obviously I\u2019ve been staying ready,\u201d Prosper told DallasHoopsJournal.com<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ve been staying prepared forever for the opportunity. And then I feel like I\u2019ve grown a lot in terms of slowing the game down. Now that I\u2019ve been playing more consistently, things are starting to slow down. I\u2019m able to see the court better, make better reads, and just let my game show. Because I\u2019m getting into a rhythm and all that kind of stuff. So I think it\u2019s all those things all in one.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 3-point shooting improvement, which has been one of the most dramatic statistical changes from his Dallas numbers to his Memphis numbers, came up when Prosper was asked about sustaining production above 40% from three over the course of a full month. His answer reflected a player who has always believed in the shot, even when the results didn\u2019t yet confirm it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think just staying calm on your shot, staying balanced, just shooting it and really shooting with confidence and believing in it,\u201d Prosper told DallasHoopsJournal.com<\/a>. \u201cI think it starts with that. Once you get a rhythm and you shoot it consistently game after game, you\u2019re going to get in the feel. I\u2019ve always felt like I was a really good shooter, even in times where the numbers maybe didn\u2019t show it. You\u2019ve got to keep that confidence. There are some games you might miss more, other games you might make more, but staying true to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friday Night Against the Dallas Mavericks<\/p>\n

The career-first double-double came in 25 minutes of action, on 7-of-10 shooting with two 3-pointers, on a night when Memphis achieved a wire-to-wire victory, leading by as many as 34. Prosper scored in the paint, hit both of his 3-point attempts, grabbed every rebound within his radius, and was active as a help defender throughout, recording three steals in what was his most complete performance of the season.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Dallas carried his fully guaranteed salary as dead cap, a quiet reminder on the books of a decision that looked routine at the time and has looked considerably more complicated since with Exum not appearing in a single game this season before being ruled out entirely. <\/p>\n

Latest Dallas Mavericks News & NBA Rumors<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The building where Olivier-Maxence Prosper spent two seasons scrapping for minutes that rarely came his way gave him…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":631688,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3795],"tags":[495,7,149,1264,294,3716,967,368,293,177,4070,6,3101,10824,1139],"class_list":{"0":"post-631687","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-memphis-grizzlies","8":"tag-anthony-davis","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-dallas-mavericks","11":"tag-dereck-lively-ii","12":"tag-grizzlies","13":"tag-jason-kidd","14":"tag-kyrie-irving","15":"tag-luka-doncic","16":"tag-memphis","17":"tag-memphis-grizzlies","18":"tag-memphisgrizzlies","19":"tag-nba","20":"tag-nba-news","21":"tag-olivier-maxence-prosper","22":"tag-tuomas-iisalo"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116152259785895115","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}