DALLAS -- JJ Barea will be active despite being under the weather the last couple of days, but rookie Roddy Beaubois might still be asked to match up some with Boston All-Star Rajon Rondo.

Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson actually said on draft night that Beaubois reminded him of Rondo. He was referring to the guards' length and athleticism.

The fact that Beaubois is one of few guards in the league that can match Rondo's speed, quickness and arm length might come in handy for the Mavs tonight.

That doesn't necessarily mean that Beaubois and Rondo are similar players.

"There’s a correlation there with the long arms, the long stride, the ability to accelerate and change direction and all that stuff," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "Rondo has been more of an all-purpose type guard going back to his high school and college days. Roddy has been more of a scorer where he’s come from, but he’s worked very hard at developing other areas of his game and becoming more diverse at what he can do."

Beaubois doesn't have to play point guard to match up with Rondo. He often defends point guards, allowing Jason Kidd to guard a wing player, while playing the 2 offensively.

Carlisle said matching up with Beaubois could be another great learning experience for the kid from Guadeloupe. It'd also be worth the price of admission.