The rookie who shined the most in the encounter between the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs was not Victor Wembanyama. Rather, it's the Mavs' first-year big man Dereck Lively II, who played a huge role in Dallas' season-opening 126-119 win on the road over Wemby and the Spurs Wednesday night.
So good was Lively that Luka Doncic was not able to keep himself from cursing on live TV when he shared his thoughts on the play of the young center during an interview following the game.
Dereck Lively makes his mark in NBA debut for the Mavs
Dereck Lively did not start for the Mavs, but he made a tremendous impact once he got the chance to see action on the floor. He concluded his night with 16 points on an efficient 7-for-8 shooting from the field while also grabbing 10 boards with an assist, a steal, and a block in 31 minutes of action. He even outplayed the 2023 NBA Draft first-overall pick in Victor Wembanyama, who put up 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting with five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block.
As for Doncic, he did Luka Doncic stuff to help the Mavs score a win over their Texas rivals. The Slovenian superstar paced both sides with 33 points on 13-for-25 shooting to go with 13 boards and 10 assists in 34 minutes.
Lively is surely going to see rougher times in his first year in the league, but if his first game was any indication, it can be expected that he'd seriously push for a starting gig sooner than later.
The Mavs head home next for a matchup versus the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.