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For the first time in this NBA Playoffs series, the Dallas Mavericks fell short against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Chris Finch's use of his big men was highly useful to their bounce-back win. Now, Coach Jason Kidd has to respond and close out the series on the road with Luka Doncic leading the charge. They may have guys like PJ Washington, Maxi Klever, Daniel Gafford, and Dwight Powell but there is one glaring absence that might have helped them send Anthony Edwards' squad home. He goes by the name of Dereck Lively II.
The Mavericks are going to Game 5 against the Timberwolves after they suffered a 105 to 100 loss. They had the wealth of big men but none of them were clear answers to the lethality of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns. These are moments in the NBA Playoffs when Jason Kidd really needs Dereck Lively II. The rookie has great size and an intense motor to do two-way work. But, is he likely going to return at all? The Mavericks center unveiled his current injury situation, via Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
“It’s a day-to-day thing. I’m not trying to rush it. We will see,” Dereck Lively II said.
This Mavericks rookie has been nursing a neck injury which caused him to sit out against the Timberwolves. Notably, he got hit in the back of the head by Karl-Anthony Towns' knee while he was falling back down to the floor. He was quickly escorted out and evaluated for a concussion. Thankfully, it was not that sort of damage but a lot of rest is still necessary.
With how Lively sees the situation, he might not be returning to the Mavericks anytime soon. Perhaps, the Luka Doncic-led squad can find a place for him once he is healthy because they may be facing Kristaps Porzingis if they advance to the NBA Finals.
A Mavericks rookie to big impact player
He is an elite rebounding machine while also being a lob threat and a tough defender in the paint. He got developed by the Duke basketball program to do that role and he certainly made the jump with the Mavericks. Before going down, Coach Jason Kidd entrusted him with 21.5 minutes per game. This saw him do a lot of all-around work.
For starters, Lively was knocking down shots from all three levels of scoring with a 65.3% clip. This has him earning 8.5 points per night. While these numbers aren't quite eye-popping, Luka Doncic is usually running the offense and the schemes are run around a heliocentric philosophy between the superstar and Kyrie Irving.
His rim protection is usually the best despite experienced centers and forwards being the ones in front of him. The Mavericks rookie always makes sure to block the apex of the opponents' shot or smother their personal space to force them into a bad jump shot. Either way, this has netted him a lot of good outcomes. He averages 1.1 blocks per contest because of this.
Hopefully, he can get back on the court such that guys from the Timberwolves can have a harder time.
