Duke basketball pro Dereck Lively II was a full-time starter for the Dallas Mavericks until head coach Jason Kidd mixed things up last week in hopes of ending a three-game losing skid. Kidd's moves have worked out for the Mavericks (37-28), now winners of three straight.
Judging by Lively's effort on Monday night, he has no issue flourishing in a backup role.
He was nearly perfect in a 127-92 victory at the Chicago Bulls, tallying a career-high 22 points, along with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. And he was 11-for-12 from the field, becoming the first rookie since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984 to reach the above stats while shooting better than 90 percent from the field.
The mere 20-year-old Lively, drafted No. 12 last summer and now averaging 8.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 75.1 percent from the field in his inaugural NBA campaign, achieved the above feat in only 20 minutes of action against the Bulls. He committed only one turnover and posted a plus/minus of +22.
As for the Mavericks' other former Duke basketball one-and-done, 31-year-old starting guard and eight-time All-Star Kyrie Irving scored 14 points across his 27 minutes on the floor.
Dallas, No. 8 in the Western Conference standings, next hosts the Golden State Warriors at 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday.
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