TRADE: Mavs trade 10+Bertans to OKC for Dereck Lively II

[Dundalis]

That one offensive rebound where he kicked it out for a 3 left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. Sure yes, the dude hit the 3 and it was a good play. But was it the best play? The most reproduceable play? Especially considering after the offensive rebound if he had just looked up he could've easily layed/dunked it back in with his left hand.

It's these small things I'm not getting from Lively. His instincts seem off. His block timing is incredible, but he's also a bit wild and I saw many moments when he defended that an NBA player could take advantage of him.

Don't get me wrong, it ain't worth to write him off before he's even played a game but it's obvious he's a project. I hope he turns out good.

Have no idea what you are talking about with the kick out. I've seen veteran NBA bigs do exactly that plenty of times. Criticizing a 19 year old in college for it is a bit odd. The only part of his game that is a true project is his offense. Nothing project like about his defense IMO, even though like any big prospect no matter how good there will be growing pains, mainly with foul trouble most likely. This might be the best scouting breakdown of his defensive skillset. Also interesting to note he had a calf injury to start the season, which obviously limited him athletically, which is partly why he had a very slow start to the season.

(87) DERECK LIVELY II SCOUTING REPORT | 2023 NBA Draft | Dallas Mavericks | Duke Blue Devils - YouTube