Dallas Mavs' Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving Give Major Praise to Dereck Lively II's Potential & Impact

Mavs rookie Dereck Lively II was sidelined from the team's loss against the Raptors. He received major praise from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

DALLAS — Ahead of the Dallas Mavericks' 127-116 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, Dereck Lively was a late addition to the injury report. He missed the Mavs' morning shootaround due to illness and was initially considered questionable to play before later being ruled out. 

While Lively is still just a rookie, he is the Mavs' only seven-footer with the physical intangibles required to offer an interior presence as a defensive anchor. After giving up 72 points in the paint against the Raptors without Lively, the impact the rookie big man makes was apparent through his absence. 

"We missed him a lot. There was no one in the paint tonight, and that just shows how important he is to our team," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "But it's the next-man-up mentality, and we just didn't do a good job on the perimeter or protecting the paint and rim."

Luka Doncic didn't need to play a game without Lively to understand how important the big man has been to the team's early-season success. In the process, Doncic described Lively's ceiling as "so big.'

"You guys and me and our team know how important he is for us," Doncic said of Lively. "It's only his rookie season. The ceiling for him, it's so big. So, of course, we miss him in any games he will miss, as you can see."

There has been a significant difference in the Mavs' ability to control the paint when Lively has been on the court versus when he has not. Dallas has given up 59.3 points in the paint per 100 possessions in the 216 minutes the team has played without him, compared to just 51.1 in 168 minutes when he's on the court. 

Dallas Mavericks during a timeout / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Kyrie Irving highlighted the paint presence that Lively brings to the team, expressing how important the rookie has been in covering up the mistakes of his teammates on the perimeter while providing second-chance scoring opportunities through his activity and success on the offensive glass. 

“We didn't need this game to show that we depend on him; he knows how big of a presence he is in the middle of that paint, how much he covers up many of our mistakes and gives us second-chance opportunities," Irving said of Lively. "It was all on us to really do the little things and continue to talk about that every time we come in here, and we don't perform the way we expect to." 

A common problem the Mavs have faced this season is the glaring discrepancy in size on the wing compared to their opponents. While Grant Williams has added strength at the four, he still is just 6-foot-6, which poses limitations against some of the bigger, quicker fours in the NBA, like Pascal Siakam. 

The Mavs' only 6-foot-8 wing on the roster is Olivier-Maxence Prosper, but he's a rookie who has yet to receive much playing time. Dallas has primarily deployed Derrick Jones Jr. on the wing next to Williams, but even though Jones boasts a 7-foot wingspan, he is only 210 pounds and stands at 6-foot-6. Despite being such an explosive athlete, Josh Green doesn't check the boxes for ideal physical intangibles to play the three. These options are prone to getting exploited based on matchups.

When the Mavs do not have Lively on the floor, they lack a center with enough imposing physical presence to deter rim attacks. Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber, and Richaun Holmes are all undersized to anchor a defense for long stretches. 

The Mavs hope to have Lively back in the lineup for Friday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers, marking the final of a two-game homestand at American Airlines Center before beginning a four-game road trip.