NBA Draft: Thunder Can Reach Next Level with Duke's Dereck Lively

Imagine a 7-foot-1, 230-pound center with a 7-foot-8 wingspan sitting down, getting into a stance, and using his mobility to effectively bother the opposing team’s guards in both isolation and pick-and-roll situations. That’s not something you see often, but that’s exactly what Dereck Lively is capable of.

Lively, who just finished his freshman season at Duke University, represents a unique opportunity for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft. If Sam Presti finds a way to grab the big man projected to go in the first round, the Thunder have a chance to establish a front-court rotation that could be a force to be reckoned with.

Dereck Lively took over this game in the second half. Single handedly disrupted what Pitt wanted to do on offense with his defense. Made some big plays offensively as well. pic.twitter.com/xdcXCaC5rj
— BlueDevilStop (@BlueDevilStop) January 12, 2023

Ranked the number one center in the nation and second-best prospect in his class by 247Sports, much was expected of Lively as he began his journey to professional basketball. While he struggled early on under Duke’s new head coach, Jon Scheyer, the Pennsylvanian big persevered to showcase his talent as a switchable defender, rim protector, and lob threat while even offering some stretch potential.

Across 34 games, the Blue Devils enjoyed a 130.8 offensive rating with Lively on the floor – the highest mark in the country by a freshman – as he threw down 54 dunks, converted 77.1% of his shots at the rim, and even recorded an assist percentage of 9.8 on just 12.8% usage while having a positive (1.6) assist-to-turnover ratio.

Love this assist by Dereck Lively out of the post. Sees the help coming and throws a bullet pass over the defense into an open Kyle Filipowski's shooting pocket (who has a beautiful jumper at ~6'11, give or take an inch) pic.twitter.com/dfxm4xbWk5
— Rich Stayman (@MavsDraft) November 19, 2022

Defensively, Duke also enjoyed an incredible 85.3 defensive rating – also effectively the best mark in the country for a freshman playing – as Lively racked up an impressive 12.8% block rate and 1.5% steal rate.

Those are incredibly juicy numbers for an NBA center prospect. And to think that he could be playing next to Chet Holmgren next season. Just imagine the Thunder rolling out two rookie seven-footers next year in the starting lineup in 2023-24 that both defend the interior, hold up on switches, and function offensively.

Chet Holmgren with one of the most impressive halves in Summer League history. pic.twitter.com/rjfSnWr4KV
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) July 6, 2022

And it’s no secret that the Oklahoma City, as currently constructed, could use a shot in the arm down low. While it’s fun to watch 6-foot-10 rookie, Jaylin Williams, take charges, knock down 3-pointers, and make awesome skip passes, it’s been made clear all season that having a player like Lively – a big who can protect the rim, space the floor vertically, and pass the rock – could help lift this young Thunder team to the next level.

Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

Add us as a preferred source on Google