Aside from a few obvious talking points (such as that Luka Doncic trade you may have heard about), the question of whether or not Dereck Lively II will shoot three-pointers has been often discussed in the Dallas Mavericks world over the past year. Head coach Jason Kidd told reporters during training camp that Dallas will “let him shoot” the ball, according to Grant Afseth of dallashoopsjournal.com. However, do Kidd's comments mean Lively will consistently start taking three-point shots this season?
There were talks about the Mavs center shooting the ball from beyond the arc a season ago. After all, he made his first professional three-point shot in the 2024 NBA Finals, so that meant he was destined to start taking long-range attempts on a consistent basis, right?
Well, it's safe to say that did not come to fruition during the 2024-25 campaign.
In fact, Lively has not even attempted a three-point shot in the regular season during either of his two years in the NBA. He is often seen working on his three-point shot after practice and before games, but he has yet to implement it into his in-game approach.
The Lively three-point conversation is common once again heading into the new season. However, this may be the year in which he actually begins taking a few three-point shots in games.
No, fans should not expect Lively to average five three-point attempts per outing. However, if Lively finds himself open in the corner and has a good look at the basket, perhaps he will take the shot this year. Kidd's comments will only fuel that narrative.
Dallas could use the extra three-point help. The Mavs are focused on defense and adding size — which will lead to quality rebounding, defense and interior scoring but leaves questions about the long-range shooting. Klay Thompson will of course help in that regard, but having a center who is willing to take shots from deep will only help matters.
There will probably still be games where Lively doesn't attempt a three-point shot. Just featuring the willingness and having the green light will force defenses to stay on him when Lively is behind the three-point line, though. Even if he averages less than a three per game, the fact that he could have the shot this year will add a new element to the Mavericks' offense.
