The NBA is getting bigger. And while centers are moving farther away from the basket, there still are a lot of big men who make their living in and around the paint.
You don’t have to go any deeper than opening night on Thursday for proof.
Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs will come to American Airlines Center for the lid-lifter and the 7-4 Frenchman is just one of many centers who are turning the position hybrid.
Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. Nikola Jokic in Denver. Kristaps Porzingis in Boston. Chet Holmgren in Oklahoma City. And there are more on the way.
Like Dereck Lively II.
One of the things that stood out most about the Mavericks’ preseason was Lively’s ability to do more than pick-and-roll. The 7-1 second-year center showed off a nice lefty jump-hook against Milwaukee on Thursday, for instance.
And he canned both of his free throws. These were areas of emphasis for him in the offseason.
“He can grow his game with the ability to hit that jump-hook,” Klay Thompson said of Lively. “It’s kind of a lost art today in the NBA. It was a go-to shot back in the day.
“D-Live will keep that shot alive.”
As coach Jason Kidd said: “The baby hooks are really, really nice with both left or right. It’s something he’s worked extremely hard on.”
When he made the all-rookie second team last season, we knew Lively had potential. But we also figured he had only scratched the surface. There would be more to come than the strong rim-rocking dunks and his protection of that rim on the other end.
Lively has added things – and not slowly. He’s eventually going to stretch his game out to the three-point arc. But for now, getting comfortable with the jump hooks is a big step.
Hakeem Olajuwon, Dwight Howard and even Shaquille O’Neal later in his career would be proud.
“I really focused a lot on owning the paint, being as strong as I possibly can,” Lively said. “Just focusing on details, making sure I can correct a lot of mistakes that I was making last year.”
And he’s realizing his physical gifts are an asset that defenders (as well as offensive players trespassing in the paint) must deal with.
No need for heroics: Thompson is having a tough time wiping the smile off his face. He is eager to start his new chapter in the NBA after 13 years with the Golden State Warriors.
And he also can’t hide his enthusiasm about this team after just a few practices on the court with Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.
“When you’re on such a talented team, you don’t have to be a hero,” Thompson said. “That’s what attracted me to come here. I think these guys can help me get the best out of myself. And have fun. When you’re playing with a smile on your face, basketball is the best.”
And the next few days of practice should make up for not having Luka in any preseason games.
“I think we’ll be great,” Thompson said. “A huge reason why I’m here is because of Luka and the chance to play with him. With the week ahead, we’ll have a lot of time to build great chemistry.
“But he’s such a great player I don’t think he needs much time to get acclimated to new teammates. He’s elevated everybody’s game since he’s been in the NBA. When you are on a team with championship aspirations, you have to defined roles. We obviously know who the guys are who are going to bring us there, but it’s up to everybody else like myself to define our role and see what we can do to help this team win as many games as possible. We’re lucky to have two superstars in Kai and Luka and then depth, we’re lucky to have great depth.”
Kleber goes through practice: For the second time in three days, Luka Dončić practiced with the team on Friday. It also was the first day in training camp that Maxi Kleber was able to go through a full practice.
He had missed the last two-plus weeks with an ankle sprain.
“It’s great being back on the court, back with the team, so I feel good about it,” the 6-10 center said. “It (happened) before, the last day before we started (camp). It was minor, so nothing bad, but obviously took a little bit of time.”
Kleber said the Mavericks went five-on-five at Friday’s practice and had a film session focused on cleaning up mistakes from Thursday’s blowout win over Milwaukee, which finished off the preseason with a 1-3 record for the Mavericks.
They will practice again Saturday before catching a breath on Sunday. Then the preparation for Thursday’s start of the regular season will resume on Monday.
Briefly: The Mavericks on Friday waived A.J. Lawson, Jamarion Sharp and Emanuel Miller . . . They also signed guards Jamir Chaplin and Jarod Lucas, moves that likely will help fill out the Texas Legends’ roster in the G League.
X: @ESefko
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