Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II was selected to the 2024 Panini Rising Stars game. Lively is the first Mavs player to earn a Rising Stars game selection since Luka Doncic in 2019 and 2020.
Lively has been reliable to say the least during his first season in Dallas. He leads all rookies in field goal percentage with a mark of 73.9. He's also second in rebounds at 7.9 boards per game. Additionally, Lively is averaging 9.2 points and 1.4 blocks per outing.
Dereck Lively II has had pivotal impact on Mavericks
Lively's presence in the post has been impactful for the Mavs. Dallas now has a reliable rim-protector, and Lively's contributions on the glass have also not gone unnoticed. Lively and Doncic have quickly developed chemistry with one another, as the two can often be found connecting for highlight-reel alley-oops.
The NBA world has taken notice of Lively's performance. Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown even compared Lively to former star center Tyson Chandler prior to Saturday's Kings-Mavericks game.
“He's been great. He's really active on both ends of the floor,” Brown said of Lively. “He can guard one through five. The way he attacks the offensive glass for a young guy is… it's unbelievable. He reminds you a little bit of a young Tyson Chandler to a certain degree. The way he screens, but more importantly how quickly he gets out of the screens when they play the pick-and-roll game. He's just a vertical threat that's hard to defend.
“The Mavericks got a really good, young player that can hold that position down for, I don't know, 10, 15 years however long they want him to be here and he wants to be here.”
Lively's performance on defense and in the rebounding department have stood out. But he's also a capable scorer. Lively recorded 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds in Dallas' 131-129 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
It's clear that Lively has a bright future. He has not received much Rookie of the Year consideration with Victor Wembanyama and Chem Holmgren receiving the majority of the attention, but Lively has impressed nonetheless. He is more than deserving of competing in the 2024 Rising Stars game.
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