Jason Kidd: Mavs' Dereck Lively II Would Go 'Top 3 or 4' in NBA Re-Draft

If the 2023 NBA Draft was reselected today with teams knowing what they know now, Mavs coach Jason Kidd sees Dereck Lively II going "top three or four."

DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II has exceeded expectations during his first-year campaign, averaging 9.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 25 games, with vastly improved play throughout December. He's continued to cement himself as one of his team's most fundamentally significant elements. 

Before the Mavs lost #-# to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, coach Jason Kidd praised the impact Lively has provided the team despite being a 19-year-old rookie. As the lone rim protection presence on the roster and a dynamic rim roller, the team has been substantially better when he's on the floor compared to when he's not.

"As a 19-year-old, he's playing at a very, very high level, we miss when he's out of the lineup," Kidd said. "We're happy when he's in the lineup. He keeps it very simple. He works extremely hard, watches films, and wants to be great."

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Kidd commended Lively's willingness to be coached and how he responds to instruction, highlighting how he's scored and rebounded when the team asks him. 

"I think as a rookie, what I love about what D Live has done is he's very coachable, and he responds immediately. When we ask him to score the ball, he scores the ball. We ask him to rebound the ball, and he goes out there and gets the rebounds we've asked him to get. I think he's exceeded everyone's expectations."

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Kidd went as far as to describe what Lively has provided as worthy of going in the "top three or four" of a re-draft of this year's class if the NBA knew what it knows now about his game. The Mavs feel they've found their center of the future based on how he does the interior dirty work.  

"We're all excited about what he's doing. If we knew that this was going to happen, if the league knew this was going to happen, he probably would have been the number three or four pick," Kidd said. "And that's where he It was drafted by us. But again, he fits what good guy we need and that's a center that's active, and it has good hands."

After losing to the Cavs, Kidd acknowledged that consistency would be an important factor for Lively going forward after struggling against Jarrett Allen. Lively finished with four points, four rebounds, and two blocks, compared to Allen's dynamic performance with 24 pints, 23 rebounds, six assists, and two steals. 

As expected with any young player, there will naturally be ups and downs, particularly against talented matchups looking to set the tone.