Mark Cuban Speaks on Mavs' Draft Picks Dereck Lively II, OMax Prosper

Mavs governor Mark Cuban made a radio appearance after the 2023 NBA Draft to discuss new additions Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

DALLAS — After using some creative maneuvering during the NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks went from only having the 10th pick to trading their way into the 12th and 24th selections. Those selections resulted in the additions of Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper. 

Lively is a 7-foot-1 center who possesses a 7-foot-7 wingspan and a lot of vertical explosiveness. He averaged 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in 20.6 minutes per game during his lone season at Duke. The 19-year-old projects as being a real threat as a play-finisher in high pick-and-roll based NBA offense, while also having major upside as a shot blocking defensive anchor.

Prosper, who turns 21 in early July, is a 6-foot-8 wing with a 7-foot-1 wingspan. He played three seasons of collegiate basketball with his first being at Clemson and his final two being for Marquette. He averaged 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 29.1 minutes per game in his final season. 

Mavericks governor Mark Cuban called into The Hardline on Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket [KTCK-AM] during an impromptu appearance to discuss the Mavs' outcomes related to the NBA Draft.

Cuban explained that had the Mavs not been able to select Lively after trading down two spots with the Oklahoma City Thunder to 12th overall, they would have not made that particular trade. Dallas was prepared to select him using the 10th pick had that been the only viable pathway to select him. 

"Well, believe it or not, we really were going for the best player available," Cuban said. "And the ties went to the positions that we needed and the skill set we needed. When it came to (Lively), he was the guy we wanted. He was available, we would have taken him at 10 if we couldn’t do the deal."

In terms of the projected impact that Lively will make in the NBA, Cuban sees him as having upside to become a similar player to Tyson Chandler. The attributes that stand out include shot blocking, rim running, and the versatility to defend in space. 

“He can block shots, he can rim run, he can move his feet on the perimeter and guard," Cuban said. "And we know it’s not fair to a 19-year-old rookie to do this. But we compared him to Tyson Chandler in terms of his upside.”

While the Mavs organization doesn't want to place immediate pressure or high expectations for their new rookies, Cuban does envision there being 

“I think he’ll play but I’m not going to tell you he’s going to come in and start immediately and change everything," Cuban said. "Now if he has a great camp, and he’s just incredible, then (Jason Kidd) will have that option to start, but I don’t want to put that much pressure on these guys. They’re still 19 and a half and 21. It’s not like they’ve got four years of experience. So let’s give them a chance to develop. But both of them have just incredible skill sets that we need.”

The Mavs organization had identified Prosper as an intriguing prospect to monitor many months ago, but at the time, he was potentially going to go undrafted in projections. He ended up rising after the NBA Scouting Combine in Chicago in mid-May and as a result of impressing teams in pre-draft workouts, which prompted Dallas to have to trade back into the draft to select him. 

“The funny thing about it is when we started preparing the day after our season ended early on, I mean, like, weeks later at the latest, Nico (Harrison) was like, 'Hey, we found this guy that we think is going to be really good, that nobody knows about that we may be able to get undrafted.' I’m like, 'Oh, cool. Maybe we can steal one and get a great player,'" Cuban said. "And then slowly, but surely, you saw him just climb up the mock drafts, as you went around and did interviews and did workouts. He was a hidden secret for a little bit, but not for long."

The perception of Prosper is that he may actually have a clearer immediate pathway to earning playing time for the Mavs than Lively considering it's simpler to step into a 3-and-D role on the wing as opposed to anchoring a defense.

“The guy really wants his claim to fame to be playing defense. He wants to guard the other team’s best player. And offensively he’s no slouch. He’s a good teammate, he deferred to their real scores, but he can put the ball on the floor, he can score on the post, you know, he can make a three, he’s a better shooter than his percentages showed. He can truly make a shot. So I think he’ll he’ll come right out of the gate and be a great 3-and-D guy. I think he has a chance to get more minutes just because it’s just an easier thing to do.

“You just roll (Prosper) out there and just let him defend and run to the corner and try to make an open corner three," Cuban explained. "Whereas with (Lively) it’s a little bit tougher to figure out (as a center) particularly defensively. So we’re giving them both all the time they need but again, I’m not trying to rush them. But I think (Prosper) is going to be incredible. And (Lively) too.”

The first chance to see Lively and Proper in a somewhat close but not quite NBA setting will be during Summer League in Las Vegas in July. 

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Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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