Dallas big man gets first (but definitely not last) taste of All-Star Weekend
Mavericks rookie center Derek Lively II has been a breath of fresh air for Dallas so far this season. Lively, who averaged 9.2 points and 7.8 rebounds (second among rookies), has made his presence felt several times at the professional level. That trend continued Friday night, but this time as a participant on Team Jalen in the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend.
Team Jalen got off to a slow start trailing 11-2 as Team Tamika had fun in the paint, but everything changed as soon as Lively confirmed his first appearance.
Oklahoma City forward Jaylen Williams came off a screen and lobbed the ball to an open Lively for his first two points of the game, finishing with six points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting in seven minutes. was recorded. It's the little things in his game that make sense. The on-call announcer agrees.
“You can't turn the intensity on,” NBA legend Jamal Crawford said.
“If you work hard and play, your time to shine will come,” future Hall of Famer Candice Parker said.
“Lively just has the talent to handle the ball,” host Adam Lefkow said.
What Lively does so well is do something that most rookie big men struggle with: making sure he's always ready. This was on display again when Williams found Lively for his second bucket of the game via another lob.
For his final three buckets of the night, Lively caught a miss by Pacers rookie Benedict Mathurin and pushed it to the rim. Aside from his dominance in the paint, you could hear Lively calling for defensive duties as if it were a regular season game.
Don't misunderstand Lively's influence. Team Jalen rallied 17-6 in their first appearance, ultimately leading them to victory by a game-leading 18 points from Mathurin.
After propelling Team Jalen to the Rising Stars Championship, Lively went on to score six more points (3 of 3) to help Team Jalen defeat Team Detlef 26-13. did.
Keep an eye on the young center as he continues to shine in the second half of the 2023-24 NBA season.
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