Inside Dallas Mavs' Growing On-Court Connection Between Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II

Dallas Mavs rookie Dereck Lively II continues to impress before the regular season. He is already showing a strong connection with Kyrie Irving in pick-and-roll.

DALLAS — During a 114-104 win over the Detroit Pistons in Friday's preseason finale for the Dallas Mavericks, the team experienced success when using screening actions with Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II. 

Irving, who finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists, frequently distributed the ball to teammates, countering the Pistons' approach to play up in ball screen coverage and help in the paint. When Detroit respected weak-side shooters enough to stay home, Irving connected with Lively but found shooters when the low-man or nail help was rotated to the paint. 

A significant factor in what enables Irving and Lively to look like a pick-and-roll partnership with established continuity beyond just a training camp and limited action in a few preseason games is Lively's attention to detail and focus on his role. 

"I like Lively's energy number one because he pays attention to detail, and he wants to embrace the role we have for him on this team," Irving said of Lively. "He's made it look seamless at times. He's still a rookie, so he's going to make some mistakes, but that's what you have to expect from young guys, but the effort is there, and he's easy to communicate with."

In terms of the options Irving sees when playing out of pick-and-roll with Lively, he appreciates having a 7-foot-1 big with a 7-foot-7 wingspan, considering the defense has to respect the vertical lob threat. As a result, a level of roll gravity opens up shooters on the perimeter for Irving to pass to as relief options when the conditions aren't present to get it to Lively in the paint. 

"When you have somebody playing above the rim, every pick and roll or is going to put pressure on the rim that opens up opportunities for shooters on the perimeter. So I'm looking forward to getting downhill a few more times and just developing that kind of one-two punch and seeing how he and Luka developed that one-two punch in the pick-and-roll."

In the week of practices the Mavs had in Texas after returning from their 12-day international preseason excursion, Lively gained reps both with and against Irving. He credits this for maximizing his understanding of Irving's approach, allowing him to become further acclimated when playing with him during games. 

"I've been able to be on the same team as him [in practice] and also be able to guard him,' Lively told DallasBasketball.com before Friday's game. "Just to know how easy it is for an offensive player to pick apart screen coverage and know that, at times, I don't have to worry about being in the right position because he will find me in any position I put myself in. It is being able to try to make everything easier for him; it's going to make things easier on me."

Dallas Mavericks' Dereck Lively II and Kyrie Irving celebrating after a play / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Irving sees major potential in how Lively can operate out of pick-and-roll with Luka Doncic and looks forward to seeing the two build a one-two punch together. At 6-foot-7, with masterful control of pace and elite passing ability, Doncic will naturally bring the best out of any rim roller he plays with in pick-and-roll. 

"Luka's a bigger guard, so he can see over the defense a little bit more," Irving said. "It's going to be good to see that translate into regular season games because they have a good combo, too."

Lively already feels he's benefitting from the significant level of defensive attention Irving commands from the defense, enabling him to have easier play-finishing chances in the paint as plays develop. He had a few plays where he utilized touch in the paint to punish the defense by getting into a jump hook and a push shot, showing some of the progression he's made in that part of his game. 

"I feel like our speed match and the pace of the game we can play, we can play off of each other very well," Lively said of Irving. "I feel like being able to know that he likes to get downhill, and he can create his own shot no matter if it's 3-pointer, a layup or a sidestep little floater, I feel like no matter what, he's going to do, everyone's focused on him."

As the Mavs continue installing layers to their half-court offense, there will be additional methods for Lively to be utilized as not only an interior play finishing threat but also for his passing ability. However, perhaps most important will be how the coaching staff continues to leverage the gravity of the team's superstars, along with the shooting threat options like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Seth Curry pose in actions.

One of Lively's scoring possessions against the Pistons featured him getting into a Wide action as an off-ball screener for Tim Hardaway Jr. at the start of a play. After Hardaway rejected the screen, Irving tossed the ball to Lively at the top of the key before setting a middle pindown for Hardaway to play out of a Zoom action handoff. With the defense not wanting to switch against Irving and needing to respect Hardaway as a shooter, the sequence created a breakdown for Lively to get a dunk.  

"I definitely think it makes a lot of my job easy," Lively said. "Everyone's going to be focused on the main threat, so it's just going to be able to play off that and try to find my open touches and try to make sure I get my points."

Lively continues to impress the Mavs' coaching staff with how quickly he learns and displays results on the court, whether as a rim roller or rim protector. The potential the team perceives him as having long-term is very high, but in the immediate future, there is an understanding that growing pains will be part of the process — as is the case with any 19-year-old rookie.  

"He has all the tools," Kidd said of Lively. "It's just a matter of being able to get him the minutes to go through the oven as a rookie and get him out on the other side with confidence."

Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II during NBA preseason action at American Airlines Center.  / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

When evaluating the qualities Lively possesses that make him an effective rim-rolling threat, Kidd highlighted how reliable Lively's hands are when catching the basketball. With two backcourt superstars who are proficient in making no-look passes and generally difficult plays, having a relief option that rarely fumbles the catch goes a long way in maximizing the output of the offense.  

“It’s been great playing with both the starters and the second group," Kidd said of Lively. "They enjoy him out there; he protects them on the defensive end, and offensively, he’s a threat being able to set screens. He has great hands with coming up with the ball in traffic."

Among the parts of Lively's game that remain largely untapped is his passing talent. He has shown to be an effective short-roll decision-maker in previous levels of his playing career, including in Las Vegas during the NBA Summer League. The more opportunities he gets to be a release valve for someone like Doncic to counter blitzes in pick-and-roll coverage, he'll get to unleash his passing talent fully. 

"One of the things we'll see as we go through this journey with him is his ability to pass," Kidd said of Lively. "He understands how to play the game. He’s able to find an open teammate."

Josh Green, who scored 22 points against the Pistons, praised Lively as an "amazing" teammate at the start of his career. Whether he's being a vocal leader on the court or showing a strong work ethic at the Mavs training facility, Green continues to be impressed by a rookie big man he views as being primed to make a big impact. 

“Lively, for such a young guy, he really listens and catches on to things," Green said of Lively. "He’s been an amazing teammate to be around. He’s loud in practice. He does everything. He works super hard. I think he’s done an amazing job... Tonight, you saw it with D-Live; he’s been working on all of that, and he’s going to be a big help for us.”

The Mavs will resume practices on Monday before the Oct. 25 regular season-opening matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. It still remains to be seen if Lively will be starting or coming off the bench when it comes time to matchup against a team led by rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama. Either way, though, the 19-year-old rookie is ready to contribute.