Dallas Mavericks' Dereck Lively II Has Exceeded Everyone's Expectations, Even His Own

Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II remains a significant X-factor as the team seeks to defeat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

May 30, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) during the second quarter in game five of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports / Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — As the Dallas Mavericks near the beginning of their first NBA Finals series since winning the championship in 2011, Dereck Lively II remains an instrumental element of their success. At 7-foot-1 with a near 7-foot-8 wingspan and a rare combination of agility and explosiveness, he's made the most of his potential this season. While those attributes stand out on the court, his coachability, communication, and mentality set him apart.

"He’s able to rim run without plays being called for him, benefiting from Luka and Kai getting downhill. Offensively, he’s gotten some big rebounds for us throughout the season," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said of Lively. "His growth in understanding his role and playing at a high level is impressive. Defensively, he can switch, guard on the perimeter, and protect the rim. As we’ve always said, the only way to have a good defense is by rebounding the ball, and he does that for us."

After earning a spot on the All-Rookie Second-Team, he's averaged 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 16 playoff games. It's safe to say the 20-year-old rookie has exceeded everyone's expectations, even his own. “I don’t think any of us expected this," he said. "I didn’t expect this. My mom didn’t expect this. Tyson [Chandler] didn’t expect this. Jason Kidd didn’t expect this. They just expected me to come to the Dallas Mavericks and learn. I feel like that’s what I did. I don’t think they expected me to learn this much this quickly."

May 30, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) during the second quarter in game five of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports / Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

How quickly Lively learns and adapts has been clear covering him throughout the early stages of his performances in Las Vegas Summer League and NBA Global Games. He took on the challenge of going up against names like Chet Holmgren, Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Naz Reid in those settings, using them as a chance to get acclimated to the NBA level and grow. Ever since, he's felt he's been granted the room to grow and play through mistakes.

"I’ve been very fortunate for them to put me in a position to learn," Lively said. "There were many times I was unsure of play calls, unsure of positions, but I’ve been able to lean on my team. They backed me up. They understand that I’m a rookie and haven’t been in this situation before, but I’m faking it until I make it.”

Despite dealing with injuries leading into the postseason and during the Mavericks' run, Lively has remained an apparent difference-making force on both ends. It has still been less than a year since he was acquired after being selected No. 12 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, and now he's set to appear in the NBA Finals as an essential contributor, something he felt wouldn't happen this soon. Dallas has outscored opponents by 13.4 points per 100 possessions in the 348 minutes Lively has played in the postseason, ranking best among all Mavericks players.

“It just doesn’t compare. The feeling of being able to win, to go through hardship, and to enjoy this moment with your teammates is amazing," Lively said. "It’s a family, knowing there’s a lot of time and many days stacked to get to this moment. You dream of it, and being in the finals is something I didn’t expect for a very long time. Being able to do this in my first year, I just want to learn and grow as much as I possibly can.”

Playing for Kidd, who has already earned a multi-year contract extension, has been one of the many elements of Lively's development. Even before the team departed for Abu Dhabi, it was clear that the rookie big man would be given the chance to have an immediate role, and he has never looked back since after initial expectations of being a developmental prospect.

“I feel like he’s been one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. He’s put me in positions where he’s expecting me to fail," Lively said of Kidd. "Even if I fail, he’s going to leave me in there to learn. His coaching style fits me very well. He walks into the locker room and asks, ‘What do we think?’ Having a coach like that, who makes the players speak and talk to one another before sharing his thoughts, is an amazing process.

"We can talk about what we need to do together as a team. When the staff comes in, they bring their perspective from the court," Lively explained. "Players and coaches see the game in two different ways, and we help each other. There’s been a lot of criticism of Coach Kidd, and I don’t understand why. I think he’s an amazing coach and an amazing person.”

The Mavericks knew they needed to find a rim-running lob threat like Lively to build the type of team Doncic sought around him. Lively displayed more than the necessary qualities the organization sought when identifying him as a potential option. Given how Lively embraces learning as much information as he can and is quick to apply it, he's continued to grow, reaching impressive heights that were expected later in his career.

“Yeah, I think when we got Lively, we felt that he was going to fill one of the holes that Luka was looking for, a vertical guy with some similarities to Tyson, not just in his physical build but his voice," Kidd said of Lively. "As a rookie, he talked a little more than usual. You could see the future of him being the anchor of the defense. The future just happened to come a lot faster."

After the 12-day international trip that included stops in Abu Dhabi and Madrid, Kidd recognized just how eager Lively was to learn and embrace challenges, making him a clear candidate to be a Day 1 contributor on a winning team. "After Abu Dhabi and Madrid, you could see he wanted to be the sponge and take on responsibility," he said. "Sometimes young players shy away from that, but he ran to it."

After drafting him, the Mavericks organization was vocal about comparing Lively to Tyson Chandler, and his on-court impact has undoubtedly met those expectations. Dallas has afforded Lively a rare opportunity to work directly with his pro comparison since Lively spends time around the team to help contribute to Lively's development, even though he's not officially on the coaching staff.

“Being able to know that I look at [Tyson] and see myself in 20, 25 years, seeing someone who has been in my position, who has been in this seat, who has played in the championship, who has won the championship, guiding me, it makes me that much better and more confident in who I am, knowing that he has my back and is confident in me," Lively explained. "It makes me want to go out on the court and play with that much more aggression.”

Before the midseason trade deadline, the Mavericks used a three-team deal to acquire Daniel Gafford from the Washington Wizards along with adding P.J. Washington from the Charlotte Hornets in a separate transaction. Gafford emerged as the starting center in front of Lively, but both players have embraced a one-two punch at the position, leading to strong success collectively.

“I feel like Gafford’s and my dynamic is amazing," Lively said. "I look at him as an older brother. I’ve leaned on him many times, understanding different schemes in a game, knowing when to make a push, when to take care of the ball, and just understanding the flow of the game.”

Whether Lively starts or comes off the bench, he's continually communicated his mature mindset, valuing doing whatever it takes to help the Mavericks win games instead of focusing on personal success. When both players are available, there is always a dirty work big man ready to bring energy on offense and defense, doing everything between protecting the rim, grabbing rebounds, and throwing down emphatic dunks.

“I’m here to win games. I’m not here to care about how many points I put on the board, how many rebounds I get, or how many times I start. It’s the same way with him," Lively said. "I feel like we have a great dynamic of picking each other up. No matter if I’m having a bad game, he’s having a bad game, or if we’re both having a good game, we’re going to pick each other up no matter what’s going on. Having both of us setting screens, getting lobs, throwing elbows, catching rebounds, it makes our teammates trust us. Since we’ve got the paint, they know they need to lock down the perimeter. If they don’t, they’ll just send it to us, and we’ve got it covered.”

Lively is impressed with how quickly Gafford made a dynamic impact after joining the team. When adjusting to the Mavericks, Lively acknowledged the process it took to get acclimated to Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic's approach and timing.

“It has a lot to do with understanding people’s tempos, what they like to do, and what makes them uncomfortable, but being able to uplift your teammates because you know what’s possible for them or understand the rhythm they like to get into," Lively said. "It took me a little while to understand Kyrie and Luka. But when PJ and Gaff were here, they just picked up the things we were trying to do. They hopped right into the scheme we were running and fit like a perfect puzzle piece."

One of the factors Lively credited to the on-court connection the team has built is the relationships they have off the floor. "Being close off the floor helps us lean on one another, see one another, and enjoy time together, which makes us tighter and more of a team on the floor," he said.

The Mavericks have continued to punish teams at the rim, with Doncic and Irving finding Lively and Gafford for finish attempts. Lively finished the Western Conference finals, having made all 16 field goal attempts while producing 1.4 points per possession at the rim in the postseason. He trails only Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic for at-rim efficiency among 30 players with 50 or more attempts.

“It’s just connection and chemistry. Trusting he’s going to throw the ball at the right time, in the right area, and knowing that I’m going to jump and get it, or Gaff is going to jump and get it," Lively said. "There have been times in practice where we mess up or the timing might be wrong, but we’re going to do it again and again until we get it right. That’s what we’ve done throughout the entire season, whether on the defensive end or the offensive end. We’re going to rep it out as many times as needed until we get it perfect.”

In the NBA Finals, the Celtics pose a clear challenge as a matchup, as they would for any team. Lively highlighted Boston's talent and shooting options, making it vital to lock into tendencies. They can initiate the offense with any of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, or Derrick White throughout games while spacing out with five shooters.

“They’ve been one of the top teams in the league the entire year," Lively said. "They can shoot the ball, one through five. They’re an amazing team. They can space the floor and get to the rim. They have a lot of weapons they can use on the floor. We need to understand when they’re going to use their weapons and when we can use a weapon against them.”

After losing a blowout to the Celtics in March, Kidd explained the decision to close the game with Maxi Kleber as a small ball center was due to the need to have an option to guard the perimeter. "Just understanding that they have struggled against playing small," he said. "If your bigs cannot guard the perimeter, it will be a shootaround for them. So we felt comfortable going small." In the NBA Finals, it'll be essential that Dallas manages to have its rim protectors manage to contain in space.

Dallas was the league's least efficient drop coverage team for a large stretch of the season, often predictable. Since late in the regular season, the team has experienced significant success by mixing it up more. It has expanded on that in the postseason, emerging as an elite defensive squad. Lively has focused intently on improving his ability to guard the perimeter, even resulting in being granted far more responsibility to switch in ball screen coverages. He acknowledged it was "a little shaky" at first and midway through the season for him guarding in space, but he's improved and embraces it.

“At the start of the season, it was a little shaky, and throughout the middle of the season, definitely shaky," Lively said. "But when it comes down to those key moments and we have to sit down and guard, I love it. I love being in those moments. Your adrenaline is pumping, your heart is pumping, and you just feel alive. In those moments where people try to break you down as a big, you sit in front of them. It kind of makes you chuckle because they look at you differently. It’s definitely been a long journey to be able to stay in front of people, especially those as talented as they are.”

The improvement the Mavericks are benefiting from Lively achieving when guarding in space this postseason was the result of a patient approach with his development. Playing through mistakes and leaning on the advice of Chandler, who entered the NBA as a small forward and finished as a rim protecting center, has helped translate on the court.

"We had to fail, um, first and then, um, to help him to understand what the smalls were going to try to do to him," Kidd said of Lively. "Even though he's not officially on the coaching staff, Tyson has done an incredible job with him. Tyson's played in this league, he came in as a three and finished as a center. So to understand what the smalls are going to try to do to you, I thought Tyson has done a really good job with him."

When guarding a five-out offense, Lively emphasized the need for trust and communication with the rest of the unit. It will require a lot of defensive rotations to contain and the Mavericks cannot hang their head after making mistakes when they happen.

"It comes down to a lot of talk and trust, communication, and trusting the next man behind you," Lively said. "There’s going to be a lot of rotations, a lot of scrambling, but I feel like we’re going to be able to talk to each other. Even if you mess up, we’re going to move on to the next play and learn because if you don’t learn, you shouldn’t be here.”

Both sides of the finals matchup have former star players that are now thriving in new situations. Irving continues to command heavy boos from the TD Garden crowd years after his departure, even as recently as March of this season. Kristaps Porzingis surely will get booed by some Mavericks fans at American Airlines Center as well. Lively doesn't buy into those narratives.

“The media is going to try to turn it into something, looking at Kristaps and Kyrie, but we’re going to go out there and just play," Lively said. "There’s a lot of tension on the floor and in the locker room, but it doesn’t matter to us. We’re focused on getting four wins, stacking them, and knowing there will be ups and downs. We’ve got to stick together, talk, and have each other’s backs.

If the Mavericks manage to win the NBA Finals, Lively will be an important factor in doing so. His ability to adapt to new situations and challenges will be tested against the Celtics' offense with the goal of stressing the rim protector by having five shooting threats on the court for much of the game. On the other end, Boston has often tried to neutralize pick-and-roll by crossmatching onto the center position, requiring Lively to be at his best offensively, particularly on the boards.

Stick with MavericksGameday for more coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA Playoffs.

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