Dereck Lively II’s rookie playoff run is usually remembered for the easy stuff: the lobs, the finishes, the absurd efficiency, the way he kept catching everything Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving tossed his way while still only 20 years old in the NBA Finals.
But that version leaves out the part that may matter even more to the Mavericks’ future.
A highlight reel that resurfaced this week puts the focus where it should be - on the defense. Lively shows up as a force at the rim, stepping into drivers and meeting them with real violence at the point of attack instead of just hanging around to contest. He also flashes the kind of chase-down blocks that only happen when length and motor are working together at full speed.
Even more eye-opening are the possessions where he leaves the paint and handles space like a veteran. In the Finals, he switched out and contested 3-pointers against Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. For a rookie center to survive those kinds of matchups on the perimeter is not normal.
The numbers back up the film. Lively finished the 2024 playoffs with a 109.0 defensive rating, and Dallas’ overall defensive climb was real: the team went from 21st in defensive rating in 2022-23 to sixth in 2023-24 during the regular season.
The biggest personnel reason for that jump was the center spot. Lively put up 7.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists over 21 postseason games, playing about 22 minutes a night while coming off the bench behind Daniel Gafford for much of the run.
The advanced stuff gets even louder. Lively had the best net rating on the Mavericks roster in that playoff stretch.
In 261 minutes alongside Doncic and Irving, Dallas outscored opponents by 19.7 points per 100 possessions, the top mark among the 178 three-man combinations across the league that played at least 175 postseason minutes. That wasn’t a nice little sample.
That was the best trio in basketball for two months.
His strongest series came in the Western Conference finals against Minnesota. Over five games, he averaged 9.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while going 16-of-16 from the field. The perfect shooting line grabbed the headlines, but the defensive work against a Timberwolves frontcourt built to punish smaller lineups was every bit as important.
That’s why the clip is worth revisiting now. Lively’s value isn’t just that he can finish around the rim.
It’s that he can protect it, switch out, help, recover and hold up against guards and bigs alike. In today’s NBA, that combination is what turns a center from useful into foundational.
The frustration is obvious, though, because the health piece has gone the wrong way. Lively is more than seven months removed from season-ending surgery on his right foot, the third procedure on that foot in about a year, and as of late June he still could not run or jump.
He played seven games last season and has appeared in only 98 of 185 possible regular-season games in his career. When asked recently about a timeline, he declined to give one.
Still, the upside hasn’t disappeared. Lively was 20 during that Finals run.
He’s 22 now, and Dallas is building a defense around Cooper Flagg’s length and versatility. If Lively gets back to full strength, that frontcourt pairing is exactly the kind of foundation the Mavericks want.
In Other News...
Mavericks Already Have A Marcus Sasser Problem They Can't Ignore
The Mavericks backcourt picture has gotten thin enough that Marcus Sasser is suddenly being asked to handle a role that does not really match his background. He is a shooting guard by trade, but Dallas is expected to lean on him as the primary backup point guard next season, a sign of how much the roster has shifted and how little proven playmaking depth remains behind the starters.
With Kyrie Irving sidelined and the guard room already stretched by recent roster changes, the margin for error is small. Sassers limited experience running an offense leaves Dallas with a real decision to make, and the front office may not be done looking for another guard who can ease the burden and give the team more stability in that spot. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Offseason Just Raised One Huge Question About Cooper Flaggs Timeline
Dallas spent the offseason reshaping the edges of its roster, adding Morez Johnson Jr., Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser and Zaccharie Risacher while moving on from Khris Middleton and Marvin Bagley III. With Masai Ujiri now steering the front office, and Mike Schmitz and Dusty May in place as general manager and head coach, the Mavericks have clearly signaled that the next phase is about building around Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg rather than chasing a quick fix.
The bigger question is how patient that plan can really be. Dallas still has trade exceptions and midlevel flexibility to work with, but it also sits at 16 standard contracts with all two-way spots filled, which leaves less room for maneuvering than a team in transition might prefer. ESPNs offseason panel slotted the Mavericks 23rd, a reminder that the roster still feels unfinished, and the veterans around Flagg are already the names to watch as the front office weighs whether to keep this group intact or keep reshaping it. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Face A Huge Klay Thompson Decision With Real Stakes
The Mavericks are still working through what Klay Thompson is worth to them as the final year of his contract puts real pressure on any deal. Dallas has been active in the market, and the broader landscape has shifted with LeBron James landing with the Philadelphia 76ers, a move that changes the way teams like the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat can approach the rest of the summer.
For Dallas, Thompson is part of a larger roster conversation rather than a standalone decision. The front office is also open to moving veterans P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, while Kyrie Irving remains off limits, which gives the Mavericks a clearer sense of what they will and wont entertain as they sort through the next move. [Read more 🡒]