Celtics vs. Mavericks: Dereck Lively II says he’s been surprised how much he’s been used as a rookie

The Dallas Mavericks have made it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011, thanks to superstar performances from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, but also because of their rookie center Dereck Lively II. The No. 12 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft instantly made an impact on the Mavericks, and he has only improved as his rookie campaign has carried on. And while many thought the Mavericks nailed picking Lively last June, no one could’ve predicted he’d be such an important piece on a team playing for a title in his first season.

Lively himself is even surprised at how important he’s become to this team right away.

“None of us expected this, I didn’t expect this, my mom didn’t expect this, Tyson [Chandler] didn’t expect this, Jason Kidd didn’t expect this — they expected me to come to the Dallas Mavericks and learn,” Lively said. “And I feel like that’s what I did. I don’t think they expected me to learn this much this quick, and I think I’ve been able to be very fortunate for them to put me in a position to learn. There’s been a lot of times where I was unsure of play calls, positions, of different things, but I’ve been able to lean on my team. They back me up, they understand that I’m a rookie, they understand that I haven’t been in this situation before, but I’m gonna fake it ’til I make it.”

There’s certainly been nothing fake about Lively’s production and value, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. Against the Timberwolves, he was a massive reason why the Mavericks were able to make things so difficult for Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, simply because he was patrolling the paint. His presence helped deter Edwards and Towns from attacking the rim, and even when they tried while Lively was on the floor, he would make them alter their shot or get a block. 

On offense, he’s the perfect rim-running big to pair with Doncic and Irving, as we saw him catch lobs countless times in the Western Conference finals, even with Towns and Rudy Gobert on the floor. He’s also an incredibly aggressive offensive…

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Author : Jasmyn Wimbish

Publish date : 2024-06-02 20:26:53

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