Dallas Mavs Rookie Dereck Lively II ‘Turning Heads’ Ahead of Preseason

A great compliment to Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II has made a name for himself in his time at the team's training camp.

After a long summer where rookie center Dereck Lively II improved in the Dallas Mavericks’ training facilities, training camp finally got underway last week, and his work seems to have paid off in a big way.

A report by Marc Stein on his weekly radio show "The Saturday Stein Line with Marc Stein" states that Lively has "continued to turn heads" and has been described as having "high energy" and "great spirits."

Since being named to the starting lineup for the Mavs’ first preseason game on Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Abu Dhabi, all signs point to Lively's chemistry with star Luka Doncic flourishing as a successful pick-and-roll pair.

"There's been some passes I've caught, and I'm like, 'There's no way I should have gotten this pass," Lively said of Doncic after being on his team in 5-on-5 training camp runs. "There's no way it should. The ball should be here, but just knowing that I always have my mind ready, my eyes up, and my hands up, it makes me a better player."

Secondary backcourt star Kyrie Irving could also benefit from the rookie's production down low. Lively says establishIng on-court chemistry with Irving has progressed nicely.

"I really think my chemistry with Kyrie has come a lot further than I thought it would be,” Lively said. “He's going to tell you exactly how it's going to go. And it's going to go exactly how he said. It's kind of funny. He's going to say, ‘they come this way on the screen, I'm going to go exactly this way. That means you do this.’ … and it works.

“So it's funny just to be able to see the veterans and be able to know that their mind in basketball. Two steps ahead is thinking five steps ahead, so they're playing chess, not checkers."

Even with veteran Dwight Powell on the roster, Stein now believes that Lively will make his way into the starting lineup on opening night against the San Antonio Spurs. Lively will face a great test against fellow rookie and No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama.

On Mavs media day, Lively expressed his desire to play a "dirty work game" in response to Doncic's "flashy game," along with fellow Mavs rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Two days remain until Lively is able to show off that ability to do the dirty work.

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