The Dallas Mavericks hit the jackpot when they acquired Dereck Lively II with the No. 12 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The 7-1 big man out of Duke has been a seamless fit at center next to superstar guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, as he’s averaging 8.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 73.4 percent through 39 games played.
As good as Lively has been, though, it’s inevitable that NBA newcomers will have their rookie learning experiences, and that’s what happened on Sunday night when he faced off against DFW native and Indiana Pacers’ Myles Turner.
In just 30 minutes played, Turner feasted inside and on the perimeter en route to 33 points and eight rebounds on 10-15 shooting as the Pacers blew out the Mavs, 133-111, snapping their seven-game win streak. All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton ran several pick-and-rolls with Turner to perfection, putting Lively in a tough spot defensively.
As Lively gains experience, playing against floor-stretching bigs shouldn’t be an issue. The 20-year-old has all the physical tools and quickness to be able to guard on the perimeter as well as in the paint, but it just takes time to get to a point where a player can do that consistently against any opponent. And who knows? Based on what we saw from Lively in his pre-draft process, he might end up being able to space the floor from the perimeter like Turner at some point too.
Despite having a few defensive breakdowns – and really, they weren't so much "breakdowns" as they were "slightly late rotations" – Lively still managed to tally four points, three rebounds and four steals in 14 minutes against the Pacers while being a +9 on the night. He’ll have a chance to rebound and show more improvement on Tuesday, as the Mavs take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second game of a four-game road trip.
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