Tyson Chandler was an integral part of the Dallas Mavericks' title run in 2011. His style of dominating the paint and grabbing boards stood out to every NBA who watched LeBron James' Miami Heat crumble before their very eyes. One of those few spectators was Tim Hardaway Jr. and he posits that a similar dominant big man has the ability to do the same in their current roster. The name of the person he's referring to? Dereck Lively II, the Mavs rookie out of the Duke basketball program.

Tim Hardaway Jr. is a known veteran who has squared off with many NBA greats in the 2010s. He even got to team up with one of the Mavs' greatest, Tyson Chandler. It may not have happened in Dallas but he saw the flashes of greatness in the New York Knicks system. Hardaway posits how insanely similar his and Dereck Lively II's games are when placed side-by-side in his latest statement, via Paul Terrazzano of TalkBasket.net.

“He has that ‘it factor’, man. I always look at him like, ‘Me coming into my rookie year, you’re doing the same things that Tyson Chandler did when I was going to New York,” he said about the rookie's game.

Lively II is coming off an insanely good year with the Duke basketball squad. He notched All-ACC, All-Defense, and All-Freshman honors in the same year under Jon Scheyer's guidance. Only time will tell if this comparison pans out well. Will the Mavs rookie fulfill these expectations heading into the season?