Photo credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Star Heaps Praise on Duke Basketball Pro Dereck Lively II
Luka Doncic tallied 50 points and 15 assists to steal the show in the Dallas Mavericks' 128-114 Christmas Day road win over the Phoenix Suns. Afterward, though, the MVP contender was extremely complimentary when talking to the media about the impressive rookie campaign of his teammate, Duke basketball product Dereck Lively II.
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Lively, a mere 19-year-old who is already the full-time starting center for the Mavericks (18-12), posted 20 points and 10 boards across 32 minutes on the floor. He shot 8-for-9 against the Suns (14-15) — bumping his season field goal percentage to an insane 74.5 — albeit only 4-for-9 at the charity stripe (55.3 percent for the season).
"Obviously, I knew he was going to be great," the 24-year-old Doncic, who surpassed 10,000 career points on Monday night, said about the No. 12 overall pick from the 2023 NBA Draft. "But the way he's performed since the first game, it's been amazing.
"I didn't expect this impact from him because he's been playing like he's in the league for 10 years already. I'm really proud of this guy. He works on his game. He listens to me. So, it's a great combo."
Roughly 18 months removed from being a top-shelf recruit at Westtown School (Pa.), Philadelphia native Dereck Lively II is now averaging 9.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game in the league.
The 7-foot-1, 230-pound Duke basketball one-and-done is one of three NBA Blue Devils on the Mavericks' roster, along with veteran guards Seth Curry (scoreless in his six minutes off the bench on Christmas Day) and eight-time All-Star Kyrie Irving (still sidelined with a heel injury).
Dallas, sitting at No. 5 in the Western Conference standings, next hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers (17-13) at 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball news.