The Dallas Mavericks have been off to a hot start this year, due in part to Dereck Lively’s immediate impact as a rookie.
The 19-year-old rookie out of Duke University has been everything the Mavericks could’ve asked for, and then some. Lively’s ability to perfectly complement Luka Doncic as a pick and roll partner has them poised to be one of the most lethal 2-man combos in the entire league.
Dereck Lively is a unique player, because he doesn’t have a particularly diverse skillset, even though centers in the modern NBA are being asked to do more than they ever have been. The Mavs made so many great offseason acquisitions already, with the arrival of Grant Williams and Derrick Jones Jr. helping to surround Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic with quality talent.
The Mavericks already had some decent young pieces in Jaden Hardy and Josh Green, but Dereck Lively II looks like he’s gonna bolster that young talent even further. The fact that the Mavs managed to snag him with the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft has him looking like a steal.
Despite this, Dereck Lively has been insanely impactful, helping the Dallas Mavericks start the season looking like one of the best teams in the NBA.
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19 Comments
Twitter been begging for this one
Predict Dereck Lively's rookie statline ๐
This video could be 5 seconds. "He's a center." ๐
was waiting for this one dereck lively has surpassed my expectations for him this season him already being this good as a rookie completely changes the celing of the mavs now they are a dark horse conference finals contender in my opinion
I told you I was waiting on twitter Alex! ๐ Aka Caleb
Tyson Chandler really did a great job passing down the torch to Dereck Lively II
I ainโt gon lie as a mavs fan I was Mad we picked him over Cam Whitmore and now I look stupid.
It's crazy how much better the whole team looks with him. the units with him make everybody else make sense.
this guy is 7โ1 derrick white
The thing is he can actually shoot well.
Heโs a good fit for Luka and Kyries playstyle
A ball dominant guard needs a big
he is him!!!
the speed you show the video is the speed Luka sees the plays.
Lively has been amazing so far! Exceeding pretty much all expectations! Mavs still need another center imo, but they may have found their starter of the future with this kid
Lively changed the offensive scheme. The opposing defense doesn't know what to do now.
Bro I knew you were going to make a video about him eventually but this game sooner than I expected! ๐๐๐ด
I think a great thing about Lively is that he understands his role. He knows heยดs not the main guy so he doesnยดt try to do more than is required of him. He contributes in anyway he can but without it getting to his head.
I love watching Dereck Lively on my Mavs, dude is a fiend on the offensive glass and i love watching him make the right pass at times when he gets the ball in the paint. Iโve been working on a vid about him too just cause i love watching him so much