Dallas Mavericks Dereck Lively II sat down for an interview to talk about his rookie season, playing with Luka Doncic and why his mom is his superhero.
The Mavs center is not your typical rookie.
Towering greater than seven feet tall, the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft has the maturity of a 12-year veteran. Lively II had to grow up fast due to his experiences growing up.
When he was 7 years old, his father, Dereck Lively, died from a heroin overdose. Two years after losing his dad, Dereck's mother, Kathy Drysdale, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma - the beginning of a near decade-long battle with cancer.
Fortunately, in the summer of 2022, they were told her cancer is in remission.
Despite being a teenager and caretaker, adversity would not deter his ascent. The kid from Philly went to prep school and became the No. 1 high school recruit in the country. After one year at Duke, he declared for the NBA Draft.
For years, the Mavericks longed for "Tyson Chandler 2.0" - a big man who could protect the rim, hustle for rebounds and attack the basket. In his brief time with the Mavs, it's clear Lively II was the big piece to the puzzle they'd been missing.
And guess who has played a role of coach and mentor for Lively II, since coming to Dallas? Tyson Chandler, himself.
Lively II leads the Mavericks in blocked shots. He's second on the team in rebounding, behind Luka Doncic. And assuming he plays the qualified number of games this season, Lively II is on pace to lead the entire NBA in field goal percentage - as a rookie.
Sure, it helps when most of his shots are dunks - via alley oops from Doncic and Kyrie Irving - but Lively II has been everything the Mavericks hoped he would be.
And the best is yet to come.
WFAA Sports Reporter Jonah Javad sat down with the Mavs star rookie to discuss his past, present and future.
FULL STORY: www.wfaa.com/article/sports/n...
30 май 2024
