Dereck Lively II has been a revelation for the Dallas Mavericks, especially in this year’s playoffs. As productive as he has been, the rookie center will remains cautious of the Boston Celtics’ elite shooting ahead of their NBA Finals showdown.
Lively was deemed a five-star recruit and counted among the top high school players in the Class of 2022. This led the big man to take Duke over other offers from Penn State, Michigan, and Kentucky for his college basketball career.
In his lone season at Duke, Lively played a total of 34 games, 27 of which he played as the starting center. Throughout that stretch, he averaged 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 2.4 blocks per contest. The center also connected 65 percent of his field goals and 60 percent from the free throw line.
After his one-year run at Duke, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him using the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and then traded to the Mavericks shortly after. From there, the big man proved his worth while playing alongside All-Star guard Luka Doncic and one-time NBA champion Kyrie Irving this season by posting averages of 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game.
Dallas Mavericks Rookie Dereck Lively Points Out Boston Celtics’ Shooting Ahead of NBA Finals
Right before the NBA Finals, Lively spoke to reporters and shared his thoughts about their impending showdown against Jayson Tatum and the Celtics. In a video shared by Mike Curtis on X:
Dereck Lively II on what stands out about the Celtics:
“They’re an amazing team…they can shoot the shit out of the ball.” pic.twitter.com/xn0SdI9DTz
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) June 2, 2024
Collectively, the Celtics are averaging 38 percent from beyond the arc, 48 percent from the field, and 80 percent from the free throw line. They are also notching 46.3 rebounds and 26.9 assists while committing around 11.9 turnovers on a nightly basis.
For sure, Lively will have his hands full against the Celtics soon. With the way Boston is playing, he and his teammates must play more than 100 percent to keep up with the Eastern Conference champs.
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