MILWAUKEE – Whenever the Mavericks get a promising young player, fans understandably have the same hopeful thoughts racing through their minds.
We finally have the hidden gem that slipped a little in the draft and we stole from underneath everybody else’s radar, they say.
Like San Antonio did with Kawhi Leonard. Or Utah with Rudy Gobert. Or Toronto with Pascal Siakam.
After 12 games of his NBA career, it’s easy to feel that way about 19-year-old Dereck Lively II. And it’s not just fans that see the potential to be great.
While the Mavericks were in Washington, Wizards coach Wes Unseld showered the 7-1 rookie with this assessment of his situation with the Mavericks and how it has changed them.
“It’s dramatically different on both ends,” Unseld said. “Lob threat, rim roller. He does great in spacing without the ball. And he’s a defensive presence. He changes shots, protects the rim and moves his feet much better when you see him. Very agile.
“It’s a pretty good start for a young player. I think he’s found his niche.”
And this was before Lively dropped 17 points and nine rebounds (with two blocked shots) on the Wizards.
It’s obviously way too early to start making predictions about where Lively’s career ultimately will go. But a solid foundation is being laid.
He is playing a sensible amount of minutes, learning how to avoid foul trouble and earning the respect of his teammates, which isn’t always easy for newcomers in the league.
“He’s been good – since Day One, he’s been really unselfish,” Seth Curry said. “He’s not coming in thinking about his individual stats. He’s doing the little things well – rebounding, defending the rim, screening well.
“And if he’s open and doesn’t get the ball, he’s not complaining. Little things like that are what has allowed him to come in and succeed right away. There’s been improvement every day. He’s found a good role for himself.”
All while having a lot put on his shoulders in the infancy of his career. He’s averaging 9.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and shooting 72.9 percent. He’s playing 24.1 minutes per game.
Lively may not have been a starter on opening night. But when he came in against San Antonio and made 7-of-8 shots and had 16 points and 10 rebounds, he’s been in the lineup ever since and there has been no reason whatsoever for coach Jason Kidd to even think about making a change at the center spot.
And judging from comments on social media, fans are just as excited about the future for Lively.
Against Washington, he had an impact in more ways than just what could be seen on the stat sheet.
Kidd said one play in particular in the first half spoke volumes about the growth in Lively’s game.
“I thought he made a heck of a play to Timmy (Hardaway) when he rim-ran and caught it and then being aware of where Timmy was in the corner for a three,” Kidd said. “It just shows his growth. His energy and the bounce-back from last night (the blowout loss in New Orleans) was high for a rookie.”
It was one of two such passes that Lively found Hardaway with as the Mavericks ran their lead to 25 points in the second quarter.
On the second night of back-to-back games it was an impressive showing by the entire team. And one that Lively is learning how to cope with in the games-never-stop-coming world of the NBA.
“It’s definitely a physical and mental battle,” Lively said. “You got to be able to make sure you’re getting your body right and your mind right. You got to be able to focus on making corrections from the last game to get to the next game.
“But at the same time, you can’t be lagging behind thinking about what happened in the previous game. You got to take care of yourself, know your assignments. No matter what they throw at you, you got to try to be one step ahead.”
So far, Lively has done just that. And his play has visions of his future greatness dancing in the heads of MFFLs.
X: @ESefko
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