Mavs' Dereck Lively II Works Toward Being Starting Center: 'I'm Getting Closer Each Day'
With all the talk that's been going around about the Dallas Mavericks pursuing a veteran starting center on the trade market, the potential immediate impact of rookie big man Dereck Lively II has been overshadowed by many.
The 19-year-old Duke product is still raw, especially on the offensive end, but his impressive defensive instincts present something the Mavs haven't had from the center position since Tyson Chandler, who is now mentoring Lively. With training camp less than two months away, Lively knows he hasn't earned the right to be the Mavs' starting center from Day 1 ... not yet at least.
"Whatever I'm given, I'm gonna take advantage of," Lively told DallasBasketball.com about his mindset heading into his rookie season.
"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 many believe the Mavs need to add another veteran center, like Atlanta Hawks' Clint Capela, there will be plenty of high-level competition between Lively, Dwight Powell and Richaun Holmes at Mavs training camp. Lively has the upper hand among that group when it comes to raw talent and defensive instincts, but Powell and Holmes have the edge when it comes to experience, so we'll see how Lively handles his next big test.
"That's something that's circled on my board – to be a starter for the Mavs" Lively told DallasBasketball.com. "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."
From our viewpoint, it seems that the only two things standing in Lively's way from being a full-time starter for the Mavs going forward is lack of experience and lack of time spent in an NBA weight room. Both of those things will take care of themselves with time, but in the meantime, Lively's high-level basketball IQ and knack for making plays on defense should be enough to keep him in head coach Jason Kidd's rotation from Day 1, even if he's not immediately starting.
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