Dereck Lively II, in his debut with the Dallas Mavericks, demonstrated that he is indeed energetic and lively. Dereck, a defensive specialist and an excellent rim protector, played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils.
As one of the top players in the 2022 class and despite his limitations as an offensive player, he started in 27 out of 34 games for a Duke team that won the ACC tournament. Lively had a magical NBA debut against the San Antonio Spurs and earned the respect and admiration of his teammates.
Who is Dereck Lively?
Dereck Lively is a professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks. He was chosen as the 12th overall pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2023 NBA draft and was subsequently traded to the Mavs, with whom he signed on July 8, 2023. Lively is physically gifted, standing at a legitimate seven feet and weighing 230 pounds. He is both strong and athletic, boasting a massive 7-foot-7 wingspan. His size, strength, and athletic abilities position him as an elite defender.
Lively, an excellent shot blocker, with an enormous wingspan, can reach absolutely anywhere similar to the San Antonio Spurs Rookie Victor Wembanyama. Lively can easily stand in front of the basket with his arms up and average at least one block per game. Beyond his physical tools, Lively also possesses great instincts as a shot-blocker. Lively is skilled at absorbing contact while maintaining his position and blocking shots without losing balance.
However, Lively is not as proficient in shooting, given his unorthodox shooting form where he somewhat slingshots the ball from in front of his forehead. Opposing players frequently leave him wide open from near the three-point line because they know he hesitates to shoot from a few feet away. He will need to dedicate a significant amount of effort to improve his shooting skills now that he is in the NBA.
Luka Doncic drops F-bomb on live TV
Luka Doncic with his Luka Magic, put up a show. He scored 33 points and led the Mavericks to their season opening victory. Luka had high praise for his teammate Dereck Lively and expressed his appreciation.
Doncic mentioned that in his own NBA debut game a couple of years ago, he was nervous, but that wasn’t the case for Dereck. Dereck appeared confident, and Luka couldn’t help but drop the expletive on live TV, saying that Dereck played “amazing.”
What are your thoughts on Luka dropping the F-bomb on Live TV while talking about Dereck Lively? Feel free to share with us in the comments below.
