David Lee will make Mavericks debut Wednesday against Thunder

“I think I have a pretty decent basketball IQ, and I’ve been around long enough to figure out on the fly,” said Lee, whose trying to learn the team’s system. “But I’m sure I’m going to be thinking a little more than playing these first two games. But I’m just going to go out there and enjoy it. And like I said, No. 1, is to play with effort and to help our team hopefully win a ballgame tomorrow night.”

The Mavericks will play Lee as a backup at power forward and center. They’re relishing the versatility the 11-year veteran brings to the table, coupled with his high basketball IQ, and the way he rebounds and handles the basketball.

“He just has a great feel for the game,” Carlisle said. “Offensively, he’s a playmaker at the [power forward] and [center] positions. There aren’t a lot of guys that can do that. That can catch, put it on the floor, score, drive, kick and put the ball in the basket, too.”

Lee was a longtime starter for the Golden State Warriors, but entered last season with a torn hamstring. He played the first four games, and then went down again with the injury, and by the time he returned, Draymond Green was playing impressively in his place and the Warriors were off to a 22-3 start.

“When I came back [Warriors] coach [Steve Kerr] kind of gave me the option, and we were at that point like [22-3] and the last thing I wanted to do was to mess up any chemistry,” Lee said. “I think when you handle things the right way and you kind of control what you can control, things tend to work out well for you, and that happened for me last year.”

Utilizing his minimum time, Lee helped the Warriors win last year’s title. Then, they traded him to Boston last summer in a cost-cutting move. The Celtics, in turn, played Lee only 30 games, and then waived him Friday so they could invest more time and energy in their younger players.

“He knows how to play, he knows how to play with the ball, without the ball, he’s a good passer, he’s a good finisher around the rim,” forward Dirk Nowitzki said. “You’d love to have a guy from [the beginning of] training camp on, but sometimes in the league you’ve got to adjust.

“But like I said, he’s a smart player, he’s been around the block. It’s not like he’s 21 years old and he’s still a college player. He knows the pro game, so that makes it a lot easier.”

With Lee on board, small forward Chandler Parsons might not have to play as much power forward as he has this season.

“He hasn’t gotten a lot of opportunities the last two years, but he’s healthy and he works extremely hard and he’s a proven player in this league,” Parsons said. “And he gives us another look at [power forward] and [center] with experience, toughness and rebounding.