'High Basketball IQ': Dereck Lively II is Putting Dallas Mavs Ahead of Schedule

It usually takes time for rookie big men to have a real impact in the NBA, but 19-year-old rookie Dereck Lively II is being the exception to that rule for the Dallas Mavericks.

Throughout the offseason, rumors swirled about the Dallas Mavericks having interest in adding another veteran big man in order to keep from having to ask too much from 19-year-old rookie Dereck Lively, who was selected No. 12 in this year's NBA Draft and then acquired by the Mavs through a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Four games into the regular season, and there aren't any of those rumors in sight with Lively playing at a high enough level to help the Mavs start the year 4-0. During an offseason exclusive interview on our Mavs Step Back Podcast, Lively expressed his intent on "doing the dirty work" and helping out Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as much as possible. He's accomplished that goal while averaging 8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 78.9 percent from the field.

“My job is to clean up the dirty work, and that’s what it is," Lively said after the Mavs defeated the Chicago Bulls 114-105 on Wednesday night. He finished the game with seven points on 3-5 shooting while also posting career-highs with 13 rebounds and six assists. One of those assists was a laser to Tim Hardaway Jr. for a four-point play after he fought to grab an offensive rebound halfway through the fourth quarter.

This is just not something you’d normally see from a 19-year-old rookie big man. Dereck Lively’s hustle & basketball IQ are next level. pic.twitter.com/yxCELUsknO

— Dalton Trigg (@dalton_trigg) November 2, 2023

"I see the loose ball. I see it flying out of bounds, and if I can get to it, I’m going to do my best to try to get it back into play," Lively said. "Just fortunate for Tim [Hardaway Jr.] to be in the right place [at the] right time. So, I was able to get him the ball, and he hit the shot. Being able to know I got shooters like that around me, that’s an amazing feeling to have.”

Seven of Lively’s 13 rebounds came on the offensive end to give the Mavs valuable second-chance opportunities. In a clutch game, every play holds a large amount of importance, and Mavs head coach Jason Kidd was impressed with what he saw on Wednesday night.

“All seven. He had seven of them, so all seven were important, especially the one that he got — I don't know how he got the one to tip it and was able to grab it and throw it to Timmy [Tim Hardaway Jr.] for the four-point play. That was a big-time play," Kidd said.

The Dallas Mavericks closed their game against the Chicago Bulls with a lineup that featured all players 24 years old and younger / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

“He wants to do the right thing. He wants to learn. He wants to help his team win. It's not running a play for him. It's about doing the little things. He understands Luka [Doncic] and Kai [Kyrie Irving] and his teammates are going to find him on the roll.”

Throughout the summer, all we heard from other Mavs players and coaches was how smart Lively was and how quickly he was picking up on things that would take an ordinary rookie a few years to get. Pair that with his top-notch conditioning, and the Mavs appear to have solution at center, not only in the present, but for the immediate future as well.

"Again, his IQ is high. We just talked about the play, getting the offensive rebound. A lot of times, those guys are looking to score, and he found Timmy [Tim Hardaway Jr.] for the shot,” Kidd said.

“He did that a lot tonight. I think the other thing is, what I like — what we all like — is he can run the whole quarter. He went the whole fourth with the timeouts we used. Chicago used one, and then we followed up and used one so that we didn't have to sub."

Many people pegged the Play-In Tournament as the Mavs’ ceiling this season, but Lively’s rapid development has helped put his undefeated squad well ahead of schedule. Next up? His biggest challenge yet, as the Mavs take on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on the road on Friday night.