The Dallas Mavericks are looking to rebound from a disappointing close to a promising 2023 campaign, and rookie Dereck Lively II is excited to get to work with his new teammate Luka Doncic.

“It’s definitely going to get scary when I set a good pick and he gets down the lane,” Lively II told Callie Caplan of Dallas Morning News.

Mark Cuban and the Mavs are hoping Lively II can be the critical post player they have been missing, to set picks for Doncic as well as grab boards and block shots.

The Mavs traded down from 10th to 12th in last week's NBA Draft, with Lively being their guy all the way. They conducted a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were dead-set on taking Kentucky's Cason Wallace.

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Lively burst onto the scene in the second half of the college basketball season, after a slow start to his freshman year with the Duke Blue Devils. He delivered an electrifying performance against rival UNC with a career-high eight blocks. He added 14 boards in that game and showed serious NBA potential that scouts were waiting for.

The 7-foot-1 center was named to the ACC All-Freshman team and All-Defensive team by the end of the year, and will look to bring his large frame and sky high potential to a Mavs team desperately in need of defensive assistance.

The Mavs also grabbed Olivier-Max Prosper from Marquette, a Canadian power forward that showed great skills down the stretch. They may look to make a deal with their new assets this offseason and try to acquire another big man.