We have to wonder, given where Dallas Mavericks player Dereck Lively II is ranked in NBA.com’s most recent “NBA Rookie Ladder” rankings, just what exactly are they watching?
After defeating LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, the Dallas Mavericks are riding a season-high four-game winning streak, which is their best start of the Jason Kidd head coaching era at 15-8.
As the second-leading scorer in the league with nearly triple-double averages of 32.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game, Luka Doncic is without a doubt Dallas’ MVP. Dereck Lively II, a rookie big man who is only 19 years old, has, in spite of Kyrie Irving, become the Mavs’ second-most valuable player this season.
Averaging 9.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 25.9 minutes over 21 games, Lively is shooting an NBA-best 73.7 percent from the field. Dallas has a 0-2 record this season while Lively is not on the court, having lost both of those games by a total of thirty points.
Lively is one of the most valuable players on a team that is presently in third place in the Western Conference, but according to NBA.com’s “Rookie Ladder” rankings, he still doesn’t receive the credit and respect he deserves. In the most recent edition, Lively came in at number seven, behind a number of great players who aren’t keeping their respective teams from finishing last in the league, notably Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons and Keyonte George of the Utah Jazz.
Furthermore, we’re not so gullible as to think that the authors of these “Rookie Ladder” articles follow every game. There’s a lot of box-score watching going on, and if you go down the list from 1 to 10, NBA.com seems to favor points per game above everything else. Having said that, though, Lively deserves more credit and acknowledgment for what he’s accomplished as a teenager in a league where it often takes a few years for rookie centers to make a significant contribution to winning.
Jason Kidd remarked of Lively, “Take the age out – he’s a basketball player,” following the Mavs’ Tuesday night 127-125 victory over the Lakers. “He is aware of the rules of the game. He’s a great coach. With the minutes and the toughness of last night’s game, this was a terrific test for him coming back to back. Then to reverse that, going from Anthony Davis to Jaren Jackson, and realizing he’s up against two All-Stars — he’s going through it.
“But once more, I believe that Luka looks to Lively to score or play make if he is double-teamed, not just because of the coaches but also because of his teammates’ trust.” It just serves to highlight his value to the club as well as his true talent.”
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It’s reasonable to argue that Lively ought to be ranked at least third on the NBA’s Rookie Ladder, behind only Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs. Additionally, Lively has outperformed both players in their head-to-head matches this season, which should probably count for something.
Naturally, Lively will get better as the season goes on because he has more experience. Not only will he be a lock for the NBA’s All-Rookie Team if he continues to play at this rate, but the Mavs, who missed the playoffs completely the previous season, should be ready to make some noise.
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