Mavs EXCLUSIVE: Dereck Lively II on Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving & Starting
When the Dallas Mavericks acquired Dereck Lively II on NBA Draft night, they knew they were getting a guy who brings a lot things they've needed at the center position: size, length, rebounding, rim-protection, and mobility to guard on the perimeter if needed.
Through three Summer League games in Las Vegas, Lively has demonstrated all of those abilities while averaging 7.7 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 75 percent from the field in 23.3 minutes per game. And although Lively is only averaging 0.7 blocks per game, that stat doesn't do his shot-altering presence at the rim justice.
Lively took some time out of his busy Summer League schedule to sit down with the Mavs Step Back Podcast to talk about a variety of topics, including how he thinks he fits alongside Mavs superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, how player development at Duke compares to what he's experienced in the NBA so far, his confidence in potentially being Dallas' starting center from day one, and much, much more.
"Whatever I'm given, I'm gonna take advantage of," Lively said when asked if he thinks he could be the Mavs' starting center as a 19-year-old rookie. "It's not something where I'm gonna say, 'I definitely have this spot,' because I definitely haven't earned that spot. I haven't played an actual NBA game, I haven't played against the whole team ... haven't practiced against the big bodies on the team. So there's still a lot things for me to be able to do so I can get to that point."
Although Lively says he's not quite where he needs to be in his development to be Dallas' no-doubt starting center, he admits that's the end goal.
"That's something that's circled on my board – to be a starter for the Mavs" Lively said. "That's something I'm definitely not at right now, but I'm scraping away, getting closer and closer each day. But I'm not there now, so that just means I've gotta keep working so I can get to it and get better."
You can watch or listen to the entire interview with Lively below, and as always, be sure to hit that 'subscribe' button so you never miss a new episode when it drops!
The Mavs, who are now 2-1 in Summer League play, will take on the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. The game will be televised on ESPN, and tip-off is at 6 p.m. CT.
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