So far in the Mavericks’ training camp, Dereck Lively II has been like a sponge. The rookie from Duke has been picking
up the small details of the team’s schemes so quickly that he’s on a fast track to possibly become the opening night starter at the center position.
“It’s something I dream about,” Lively said, referring to being a starter when the Mavs open the regular season on Oct. 25 in San Antonio. “But what I try to do is I try to win every day so I can earn that spot.
“It’s not something I think I’m going to be guaranteed. It’s something I have to earn.”
Lively has been earning his stripes thus far in part because he and the Mavs’ generational point guard – Luka Doncic – have looked like they’ve been playing together for years.
“It was the first day he came back,” Lively said of Doncic. “I think we started to play a little bit of five-on-five, and from then on I’ve been on his team.
“It seems like he likes what I do because I make his job easier, and he makes my job easier. I know I’m trying to get him open as best as possible. If he’s going in the lane I know if I’m two or three steps to the side that people are going to have to step to me for the lob threat, so it’s going to give Luka an open lane.”
And an open lane for Doncic translates into a sure-fire bucket for the Mavs. However, Lively has already noticed that Doncic is the master of deception, and that teammates like himself must keep their head on a swivel when they’re on the court with the four-time All-Star.
“There’s been some passes where I’ve caught, and I’m like, ‘There’s no way I should have gotten this pass, there’s no way the ball should be here,’ “ Lively said. “But just being able to know that I always got to have my mind ready, my eyes up and my hands up, it just makes me a better player.”
As this season progresses, coach Jason Kidd fully believes Lively will be a much more productive player than he’s already shown. Kidd also knows the fact that he’s already on the same page with Doncic, that speaks volumes.
“You look at D-Live and the things that he’d done since August, he’s taken a big, big jump for us here lately, being able to play with Luka in the pickup games,” Kidd said. “There’s some excitement between those two.”
That excitement is expected to increase exponentially as the games come, starting with the Mavs’ preseason opener on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT in Abu Dhabi against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Lively has already received major props from everyone on the Mavs’ coaching staff as a player who not only looks like, but also plays like former Mavs center Tyson Chandler. Ironically, Chandler, whose gigantic defensive presence was the guiding force in the Mavs winning the 2011 NBA title, is helping mentor Lively, who is an imposing 7-1 and 234 pounds.
“(Lively) is, when I say bouncy, I don’t think that’s even the word to describe it,” center Rashaun Holmes said. “I was talking to Tyson about it, because I played with Tyson back in Phoenix (in 2018), and he looks so much like him the way he moves and the way he jumps.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him develop and looking forward to playing against him more (in practice) and just cheering him on as the season goes on.”
The 12th overall pick in this past June’s NBA Draft, Lively knows Chandler will also be somewhere close by cheering him on.
“He’s an amazing player, he’s an amazing person and he has an amazing character, and I feel like he’s someone I’ve already learned so much from,” Lively said. “After each play, after each practice, one little clip, he’s always there to have something to say.
“No matter if it’s telling me what I should have done right, telling me how I can correct myself, or if I did something right. He’s always been able to tell me what I needed to hear, not what I want to hear.”
In addition, Lively is constantly in his teammates’ ears, trying to absorb as much as possible, and trying to learn their sweet spots on the court.
“I’m trying to pick Dwight (Powell’s) brain, I’m picking Kyrie (Irving’s) brain, I’m picking Luka’s brain to try to figure out their tempo and trying to figure out what they like to do,” Lively said. “You’re really just understanding each scheme and everybody’s own characteristic of the game is something I’m trying to do.”
One thing Lively said he will not do is put any undo pressure on himself.
“There’s always going to be pressure,” he said. “You shouldn’t let pressure just kind of hold you down, because if it wasn’t pressure it wouldn’t be that fun. It wouldn’t make the lows that low and it wouldn’t make the highs high.
“I know I’m not going to do amazing off the start. I know I’m not going be able to be the top guy. But I’m going to learn every day and I’m going to get better each game, each practice, each day, and that’s going to get me to where I need to be.”
As for any personal goals he wants to achieve, Lively has put those on the backburner, adding that he’s a team-first type of player.
“I just want to be the most coachable player out there on the floor,” he said. “I want to learn, I want to get better and I want to win games. I’m not going to go out there chasing awards, I’m not going to go out there chasing a title.
“I’m going to go out there chasing wins, and the wins are going to get me those titles. You just try to learn every day, you try to win each day, no matter if it’s film, no matter if it’s on the court, no matter if it’s in the weight room. You try to improve however you can.”
X: @DwainPrice
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