What Joe Wieskamp, now in training camp with the Dallas Mavericks, has learned in the NBA

DALLAS, Texas — Late last month, Joe Wieskamp had just completed his first training camp practice with Dallas, sharing the hardwood with two of the world’s best players in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who have a combined 12 NBA All-Star appearances and one championship.

The moment wasn’t lost on the former Iowa standout, who is entering his third professional season.

“It is really cool. Being my third year, I’ve obviously experienced it, playing with a lot of great players,” Wieskamp said. “But this is a whole new level with Luka and Kyrie.

“Just trying to stay true to my game and provide what I can to help the team. (What I bring to Dallas) starts with spacing. We have two dynamic creators that are going to create open looks. Being able to space the floor, knock down open shots, rebound, defend, is what I’m going to bring.”

The Mavericks are the third different team for the Muscatine native in as many seasons, joining the Spurs, who drafted him 41st overall in 2021 and who he played 29 games for, and the Raptors, who signed him earlier this year out of the NBA G League and who he played nine games for.

Dallas is in its third year with Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd as its head coach, the latest coaching luminary Wieskamp gets to learn from, joining Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich, who coached him with San Antonio, and fellow Iowa native Nick Nurse in Toronto, who coached the Raptors to their only NBA title to date in 2019.

“It’s really cool, just the opportunity to learn from him (Kidd). I’ve been around a lot of great coaches,” he said. “Any knowledge you can gain from different people is a blessing. Trying to learn as much as I can, especially early on in camp so when I get my opportunities, take advantage of them.”

And Kidd, who played for Dallas’ 2011 title team and was an assistant for the Lakers’ 2020 championship squad in the bubble, likes what Wieskamp brings to his roster.

“Joe shoots the ball extremely well. He plays hard. He understands how to play the game the right way,” Kidd said. “Joe is very dangerous. He’s one of those guys you can’t leave open. With his experience, we’re very lucky to have him in camp.”

Whether it was his time at Iowa under Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffrey or while playing for Popovich or Nurse in the NBA, Wieskamp continues drawing on the lessons learned from those coaches and applying them to his current employer.

He especially draws on the invaluable defensive lessons he learned from Popovich, who has led San Antonio to five NBA titles.

“He was a great coach,” Wieskamp said. “He’s the winningest coach in NBA history for a reason. I would say just mostly his defensive mindset to the game. Coming from Iowa, we were always a team that we were going to score more than the other team, but realizing the importance of being a good defender by knowing your rotations, beating guys to the spots (was big for me). He put a big emphasis on the defensive end. I’ve really taken that with me.”

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Maybe the most apt way to describe Wieskamp’s first two seasons as a professional is constant change. He’s been signed, waived, had his contract changed from a two-way where he splits time between the NBA and G League to a standard deal, and vice versa.

Some in his position might complain about all the shuttling he’s done between the NBA and G League, but he instead views it as a positive.

“When you’re with the NBA team, you’re watching and ready to take advantage of any opportunity. But the G League gives you the opportunity to go down, play and get those important reps because a lot of the time you’re doing the same thing that the NBA level’s doing,” he said. “Working on those defensive rotations, your shots, getting to the rim, it’s a good opportunity to get a balance of both learning and playing.”

Wieskamp also credits his three seasons in Iowa City for helping prepare him for everything he’s experienced thus far as a professional.

“Grew up a Hawkeye fan. Had a great relationship with Coach McCaffrey and just wanted to be a Hawkeye,” he said. “I loved my time there. Coach did a great job developing me and the guys around me and you can see the success that we’ve had with Keegan and Kris (Murray) now. It was a great program, a great opportunity for me to play in my home state and have my family come to all the games.”

With this being his third NBA training camp of his short professional career, Wieskamp looks back to how he viewed the game as an inexperienced rookie compared to now when he knows the lay of the land in the Association as an experienced pro.

“You think you know what the NBA is going to be like going into it, but you truly don’t know until you’ve experienced a full season of the ups and downs. It’s such a long season,” he said. “It’s a grind, it’s 82 games. Bringing your best every single night is important and just consistency. I think having two years under my belt now, I know more what to expect going into the year.”

Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas