The Dallas Mavericks are off to their best start since the 2004-05 season. With just one loss in seven games, they only trail the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference standings through the first two weeks of the 2023-24 NBA season. The Mavs have been clicking on all cylinders to begin the campaign.

Luka Doncic is playing at an MVP level. Kyrie Irving has bought in so far and has contributed in other facets such as playmaking and defense. Tim Hardaway Jr. is an early candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. Grant Williams and Derrick Jones Jr. have been terrific offseason signings. This season as a whole has been quite the pleasant surprise for the Mavs. One player, in particular, has caught the league off guard with how terrific he's looked so far — and that is Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II.

Mavs most pleasant surprise of the season: Dereck Lively II

It did not take long for Dereck Lively II to establish himself as a fixture in Mavs coach Jason Kidd's rotation. In fact, it only took one game from Lively for Kidd to make the 19-year-old the Mavericks' full-time starter.

In a game where all the spotlight was on the prized rookie on the other side of the floor, Lively had an epic NBA debut where he outscored and outplayed Victor Wembanyama. The Duke standout, taken 12th overall by Dallas in the 2023 NBA Draft, notched a double-double in his first NBA game with 16 points and 10 rebounds. He shot an efficient 7-of-8 shooting from the field and was mostly the beneficiary of lobs and easy dump offs from Luka Doncic.

Since then, Lively has started in all of Dallas' six other games this season. While his minutes and play have gone up-and-down, which is expected of a rookie, the kid is proving that he deserves and has earned that starting role moving forward.

On the season, Lively is averaging 9.0 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 77.8 percent from the field. He has recorded one block in each of his seven games thus far. He also has three double-digit rebound games to his name, including two double-doubles.

Most of Lively's baskets come around the basket, whether it be off dump off passes, lobs, or offensive rebounds. The ability to finish around the basket is still a skill and the 19-year-old's efficiency inside the paint indicates he is already comfortable operating around the basket, even in traffic.

Chemistry with Luka Doncic

One of the most important things about Dereck Lively II is that he has built a solid rapport with Luka Doncic. It didn't take long for Doncic and Lively to establish a connection. The Slovenian has been able to hit his young center on several lobs already throughout the season.

Lively has also become a reliable pick-and-roll partner for Doncic. With his ability to finish in the paint, Doncic is able to get easy dimes and easy looks for the 19-year-old at least once a night. Doncic gets 1.6 assists per game on the Duke standout, which is second among all Mavs players behind Grant Williams so far this season. Lively, in turn, has been able to convert 61.1 percent of his field goals off Doncic's dimes.

The Doncic-Lively combo has generated a 114.9 offensive rating for the Mavs so far this season. Add Irving into that mix, they are at 115.8 offensive rating with a net rating of 10.2.

Doesn't look like a rookie

It's safe to say after two weeks in the NBA that Dereck Lively II does not look like a rookie at all out there for the Mavs. Sure, the kid has the athletic gifts and the innate motor that makes him stand out in the first place.

He has shown a knack for grabbing offensive rebounds. He averages 2.9 of those a game, which is second among rookies behind Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson.

Lively has also shown flashes of Tyson Chandler with his ability to keep possessions alive, whether it be on back taps to the outside, or just simply being there and hustling for loose balls. These are facets about his game that no coach or trainer can teach.

Rookie big men usually take longer to develop the habits and abilities needed to become to become effective, especially in this modern era of basketball. Knowing when to cut, how to set effective screens, when to rotate — these are things the modern-day NBA center needs to have in their skill set. But Lively has shown that he is way ahead of the curve.

Moreover, his awareness on these short-roll passes unlocks another element in his game and how he can be a winning player for Dallas.

In the first and the third plays in the compilation below (via AlexHoops), he was able to hit the corner man on a short-roll pass for a wide open triple. In the second sequence, Lively was able to deliver a nice drop off pass once again to Jones after a nifty no-dribble Eurostep in the lane. Finally, in the last one, he displayed his court awareness and found a wide open Grant Williams on the right wing after momentarily attracting the defense in the paint.

It remains to be seen how Lively will adjust when teams inevitably game plan for him as the season goes along. But regardless, the 19-year-old has proven in no time that he has a bright future ahead in the NBA.