The Dallas Mavericks are looking to compete during the 2025-26 NBA season. Mark Cuban previously suggested that center Dereck Lively II could begin taking three-point attempts in games in 2025-26. During a recent appearance on the DLLS Mavs podcast, Cuban said that both Lively and Anthony Davis' three-point shooting will drastically impact the team during the upcoming campaign, via Tim Cato of DLLS.
“I literally think our season will go as well as D-Live (Lively) and AD (Davis) shooting threes,” Cuban said.
When Cato, one of the hosts of the show, pointed out that Lively took only “one jump-shot” during the 2024-25 season, Cuban doubled down on his stance and said he now expects Lively to get the “green light.”
“I think he's gonna get the green light,” Cuban said. “Time will tell.”
There seems to be some skepticism in reference to the idea of Lively consistently shooting three-point attempts this season, but Cuban is confident that it will come to fruition. Lively's long-range shooting has been a subject of discussion over the past year, and the center is often seen shooting three-pointers after practices and before games.
The question now becomes whether or not Lively will take the next step and begin implementing it into game-action. For what it's worth, the 21-year-old has never attempted a three-point shot in a regular season game and has just one postseason three-point attempt. However, that shot came in the 2024 NBA Finals when Lively found the bottom of the net against the Celtics.
Davis is not known for his three-point shooting prowess, but he has plenty of experience from beyond the arc. AD has averaged 1.6 three-point attempts per game for his career and recorded 3.3 long-range attempts per outing after getting traded to the Mavericks last season.
It will be interesting to see if Cuban's prediction comes true during the 2025-26 NBA season.
