Mavs Training Camp: Dereck Lively II Plans to Do ‘Dirty Work’ for Luka & Kyrie

If Dereck Lively II continues to progress the way he has since being drafted in June, he could find himself as the Dallas Mavericks’ starting center by the time training camp is over.

The Dallas Mavericks have lucked up over the last 2.5 decades by having both Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic as the faces of the franchise with no gaps in between. However, despite having such luck in the superstar department, the Mavs have seemingly always struggled to add a difference-making center to their roster.

The only two times over the last 13 years where that hasn’t been the case was when the Mavs traded for Tyson Chandler on two different occasions — once before the 2010-11 season, which led to an NBA championship, and again before the 2014-15 season.

Now, Chandler is back with the Mavs in a player-development role and hoping to mold rookie big man Dereck Lively II, who has drawn several comparisons to Chandler, into having the same type of impact he did in Dallas … and perhaps for a longer period of time as well.

Heading into Mavs training camp on Wednesday, Lively, who was acquired in June’s draft with the No. 12 overall pick, has a real shot at being Dallas’ starting center according to head coach Jason Kidd. Despite being just 19 years old, Lively’s physical tools, including 7-1 height and a 7-7 wingspan, paired with high basketball IQ and advanced maturity, are reasons for his accelerated development over the offseason.

"I think for a big, you try to keep the game simple for them in terms of screening angles, rolling to the rim, putting pressure on the rim, finishing around the rim and protecting the rim conversely on the defensive side of the ball, [and] being able to communicate your pick-and-roll coverages,” Texas Legends coach Jordan Sears told DallasBasketball.com when discussing Lively’s development.

Dereck Lively II reads the defense in the Dallas Mavericks’ Las Vegas Summer League matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.  / Mavs.com

"Dereck has grown tremendously since Summer League with those things. He works on the little details everyday. I think some [other] things we've seen with him are his feel for the game in terms of passing, being a facilitating big at 7-1, which are things you don't see for guys that size that often. … I think the sky is the limit for him on that end of the floor."

Although starting for the Mavs is a self-proclaimed goal of his, being able to contribute to winning by doing the ‘dirty work’ in whatever role he’s given is something Lively is looking forward to.

"I think I fit in very well,” Lively told DallasBasketball.com over the summer. “My focus is getting the ball-handlers and our scorers open. Doing that is gonna make my job easier, being able to offensive rebound, to score, and I'm also trying to set picks as best as I can to get ball-handlers open.

"I'm excited for [my rookie season.] I think I'm gonna be able to fit this mold on this team very well. I'm gonna do the dirty work on both ends of the floor, and I'm backing everybody up every step of the way.”

From a mentality standpoint, you can definitely see why Lively has drawn so many comparisons to Chandler over the last five months. With less than a month remaining until opening night, we’ll soon find out to what extend he’ll be able to emulate Chandler’s on-court attributes as well.

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