Mavs Hire Rudy Gobert Coach, Add Tyson Chandler as Dereck Lively Mentor
DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks are apparently taking very seriously the care and feeding of prized rookie center Dereck Lively II, making a summer and a full-season move with coaches who figure to mentor the 7-footer from Duke.
During NBA Summer League, former Mavs champion Tyson Chandler will be roaming the sidelines as an assistant to Jared Dudley. Additionally, in a full-time move, Alex Jensen, who recently was let go by the Utah Jazz, is being added to the staff of head coach Jason Kidd.
Jensen, 47, had been the longest-tenured member of the Utah coaching staff, having worked under the last three head coaches, starting with Tyrone Corbin in 2013 and then with Quin Snyder and with Will Hardy.
Jensen, who was mentored as a player by University of Utah coach Rick Majerus, is frequently credited with helping Rudy Gobert become three-time Defensive Player of the Year and a perennial All-Star candidate.
Chandler, 40, played in the NBA for 19 years, with two stints in Dallas - the first one resulting in him working alongside Dirk Nowitzki to capture the Mavs' NBA Finals championship in 2011. Chandler is considered the best center in franchise history and has been working here in player development ... another reason he seems like such a fine fit to help tutor Lively, taken with the No. 12 overall pick in the recent NBA Draft by the center-needy Mavs.
Said Mavs exec Michael Finley of Lively: “He kind of reminded me of a younger Tyson Chandler. That’s unfair, but if he continues to grow, improve in areas that I think he needs to improve in, that would be a comparison that would be fair for him as his career goes on.”
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