Mavericks are ready to unleash Dereck Lively II's dangerous new skill on the NBA

The preseason for the Dallas Mavericks is officially over after their blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, and the countdown to the regular season has officially begun.

Dallas opens the regular season on Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs at home, and plenty of what the team showed during the preseason should excite fans about their potential during the regular season.

Although the Mavs didn't have Luka Doncic for any of the preseason as he was out with a calf contusion, plenty of other players stepped up in his absence and showed Jason Kidd and the rest of the coaching staff their skills before the long regular season. Klay Thompson looked impressive in two of the three games that he played in, and Dereck Lively II continues to take the right steps to become a future star in this league.

Lively II averaged 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game in 18.4 minutes per game while shooting 76.5 percent from the field. He looked outstanding on both ends of the floor, and he brought out one new skill that will turn him into a much better offensive player than he was last season.

Kidd is comfortable with Lively II shooting from low post

This summer, Lively II worked hard at his scoring inside the paint. He isn't in a rush to consistently start taking tons of threes in games, but he is focused on being a better scorer in the paint. Lively II's improvement in this area was evident every time that he stepped on the floor in the four preseason games, and Kidd is ready for him to add these shots to his arsenal regularly.

"His touch around the rim with the baby hooks are really really nice," Kidd said after Thursday night's win over the Bucks. "To go to him in the post, I think that’s something that we can look to, especially with the space that we’ll have with guys on the perimeter."

Kidd complimented Lively II's play in practice and in the preseason games thus far, and he seems confident that they can look to Lively II in the post-up game once the regular season begins next week.

This was something that we barely saw out of Lively II last season, as he only had 10 total post-ups for the entire season. He was 4-9 from the field in these situations, and his touch around the bucket around the preseason looks way better than it did last season.

Against the Bucks, Lively II showcased his ability to knock down hook shots out of the post, and he looks comfortable shooting these shots with either hand. He also knocked down a couple of floaters during the preseason, and Kidd allowing Lively II to take these types of shots within the flow of the offense could make them even more dangerous than before.

Dallas' offense was already dangerous when using Lively II as just a rim roller. Now they can use him as a rim roller or out of the low post, and we could see him start to take 3-pointers this season.

The opportunities are endless when it comes to how Dallas' offense can dominate, and Kidd is pushing all of his chips to the middle of the table when it comes to Lively II's game. He has grown quickly after playing just one season in the NBA, and teams around the league will have to think twice when preparing for the Mavs due to his new-and-improved paint scoring and touch around the bucket.