Anyone looking at the numbers to break down Dereck Lively II’s season so far is not doing the second-year center justice.
On paper, Lively has produced virtually the exact same statistics he did in his rookie season, which was an unqualified success.
But don’t think for a second that the 20-year-old has stalled on his career trajectory.
Far from it.
Lively has become a better defender, a better teammate and a better thinker of the game this season.
“D-Live’s work ethic, his coachability, understanding his role, his energy and what he brings to the team – it’s at a high,” coach Jason Kidd said Tuesday. “You can see his growth. Each time he takes the floor, he’s added something. The trust his teammates have with the lob (is big) and also his ability to give us second and third opportunities.”
All of which has been a major improvement in his overall game. His numbers – 8.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks – all are within a whisper of what he averaged as a rookie (8.8, 6.9, 1.4).
But those numbers belie the fact that he’s simply a better player as he begins to settle into a comfort zone. And as he continues learning.
“That (the numbers) is just half the story,” Kidd said. “Great teammate, energy, the one-two center (combo at center with Daniel Gafford), he understands his role. To be a young kid and to play at the level he’s playing right now, the future is extremely bright.”
And his present ain’t too shabby, either.
“I feel like I’ve definitely taken a step forward,” Lively said. “There are going to be times when I leave stuff on the floor, but that happens every game.
“You just got to study film and try to learn from my mistakes, no matter if it’s me turning the ball over or me missing shots, being off balance – things I can control. I’m learning. I’m trying to use it in games and get better at it every day.”
One big area of improvement has been Lively’s vocal personality on both ends of the court, but particularly on defense.
He’s been the anchor of a defense that has been solid most of the time, despite giving up 133 points to a red-hot Golden State team on Sunday, which is OK when you end up with 143 points.
“It’s great for a young player not to have that text mentality on the floor, to have a voice,” Kidd said. “You can say that’s rare . . . that linebacker that communicates to his teammates where they should be on the floor and alerting them that he’s behind them to help.
“The defense was in the top-10 there for a second. Lately it’s been a little lax. We got to get back to guarding. But if you’re in the top-10 defensively and top-10 offensively, it gives you a chance at what you’re trying to achieve and that’s to win a championship.”
Lively and the rest of the Mavericks came tantalizingly close to that goal last season, losing to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Now, they plan on finishing the job. But it’s a journey that can only be taken step by step.
And so far, they’ve done a good job of learning along the way with a 17-9 record, 12-2 in the last month. Lively credits the defense.
“As a team, we’re definitely stringing together a lot more, understanding our rotations and talking to one another,” he said. “If we mess up, instead of yelling at each other, we just come together and make it right the next time. We’re going to mess up. We’re human.
“My mom always taught me to be vocal on the court, helping everything go smoothly. You got to be able to communicate and let them know you got their back. At times, I’m thinking out loud so it kind of helps everyone else think, too.”
It’s another area of growth in a season that, so far, has been a rousing success for Lively as well as the Mavericks.
Injury update: Judging from the participation ledger from Tuesday’s practice, it’s a good time for the Mavericks to have a little break in their schedule.
Luka Dončić (left heel contusion) and Kyrie Irving (right shoulder soreness) both missed the workout session.
But the good news is that Maxi Kleber and Naji Marshall, both of whom were battling an illness, returned to practice.
The Mavericks will have another day to iron out things in practice before returning to action Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers at American Airlines Center. Dončić is coming off a massive game at Golden State when he had a triple-double highlighted by 45 points.
Briefly: As much as the schedule seems to have been overloaded with road games (13 of the last 17), the Mavericks are close to the one-third point of the season and have played 11 home games compared to 15 on the road . . . The Mavericks have gone 12-2 since mid-November after starting 5-7. So what’s been the big difference? “Just getting comfortable with one another,” Kidd said. “Sometimes, it takes time. The first two weeks of the season, with the injuries we had coming out of camp, we just had to get used to one another. Guys have done really good with that. Everyone wants to go undefeated, but you learn when you lose how to come back and be better. This group has done that at a high level.” As Lively said: “The start was a little rough, but we leaned on each other and leaned on our ideals and it’s gotten us this far, so we just got to keep pushing.”
X: @ESefko
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