The Dallas Mavericks had a shot at getting their second NBA championship banner last June, but they failed to have a proper answer to whatever the Boston Celtics threw their way.
This time, some fans are confident they have a better shot at winning the entire thing. Not only is Luka Doncic hungry for the title after experiencing the Finals once, but Kyrie Irving is also rested after a long season of battling through injuries.
If there’s one thing Mavs fans were pleasantly surprised about, it’s the emergence of Dereck Lively II as the team’s first choice as the primary big man. The young 7’1″ big man out of Duke surprised many as he secured his spot as a high-value starting big for the Mavs throughout the postseason.
As if to confirm his newfound status as the starting center for the 2024 Western Conference champs, ESPN gave him a good spot in their list.
Dallas Mavericks’ Dereck Lively II is listed at #56 in ESPN’s Top 100 Players list
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon recognized how sudden Lively II’s rise to become one of the league’s most exciting bigs is.
He explained why he and his colleagues at the sports media network listed the 20-year-old center as the 56th-best player in the association:
Lively wasn’t on this list a year ago, when he was considered a raw project entering his rookie season. He quickly established himself as an essential part of the Mavs’ core. Lively is a springy pick-and-roll partner for Luka Doncic and a spectacular finisher (141 dunks, 74.7% from the floor). He is just starting to tap into his immense defensive potential as a rim protector who is comfortable switching onto elite perimeter scorers. At 20 years old, Lively projects as a premier center for years to come.
The quick turnaround from being a project player into a high-value asset who can maximize Doncic’s pick-and-roll wizardry shows how ready Dereck Lively II is to make the jump to the pros. His rookie performance also shows plenty of promise, averaging 8.8 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.7 SPG, and 1.1 BPG.
If he continues his development at the right trajectory, it wouldn’t be stretch to say that he’s a major reason behind the Mavs’ successes if they finish the year with the Larry O’Brien trophy in their hands.
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