Mark Cuban just gave Mavericks fans hope for key change they’ve begged to see

Ever since Dereck Lively II's rookie year, Dallas Mavericks fans have begged him to shoot threes.

It all started on Lively II's Klutch Pro Day ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft, as he was draining three after three after only shooting 13 threes while at Duke. The excitement surrounding Lively II shooting threes eventually died down, as he became a rim-rolling big in Dallas and excelled in his role, but now the hype is back after Mark Cuban teased Lively II being able to stretch the floor some next season.

Last Friday, Cuban spoke to the media following Cooper Flagg's introductory press conference, and after hinting at Dallas running out a behemoth starting lineup of Flagg, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis, and Lively II or Daniel Gafford, he briefly talked about Lively II becoming a floor spacer.

Mark Cuban backs Dereck Lively II becoming a real threat from deep

"And if we can get D-Live shooting some threes," Cuban said last week when breaking down the different ways the Mavs can play. "Now all of a sudden, we can play five-out with D-Live in the corner and Cooper, or whoever, (can) get him the ball."

While any comments surrounding Lively II shooting threes should be taken with a grain of salt, as he only drained one three in his NBA career (back in Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals), maybe an eagerness in this area from the front office and Lively II himself could lead to Mavericks fans seeing this some in-game.

Lively II has only attempted three threes over his two-year NBA career, and while he has always expressed an interest in letting it fly from downtown, it hasn't happened on the court yet. But after seeing how poorly Dallas shot it from downtown last season, now finally may be the time for Jason Kidd to take Cuban's advice and run some five-out offense.

With a starting five of Flagg, Thompson, Washington, Davis, and Lively II, Dallas needs to shoot it from downtown at a high clip, as the only proven shooter in that unit is Thompson. Washington had a good year from three last season, as he shot 38.1 percent from downtown on 4.2 attempts per game, but as Mavs fans know, he can be inconsistent in this area.

If Kidd truly wants this big lineup to succeed, it wouldn't be a horrible idea to at least try letting Lively II shoot some threes, and this could even come in the preseason.

Every pregame workout at the American Airlines Center, Lively II showcases his 3-point shooting to Mavericks fans who arrived early, and this is one of the biggest reasons fans want him to begin to let it fly in games. He clearly has some touch from the corners, and Lively II at least being a threat from deep would give Dallas' offense a new energy to it.

Rather than Lively II only roaming the paint, he could occasionally spot up in the corners, allowing Davis and company much more room to operate on dribble drives and in the paint. Toward the end of the year last season, the Mavs' offense looked a bit clunky once Davis returned, and their 3-point shooting was among the worst in the league.

For the entire 2024-25 season, Dallas shot 36.4 percent from three (15th in the league) on 34.2 attempts per game (26th in the league), and these numbers only dipped at the end of the season. From March 24 (when Davis returned) until the end of the regular season, Dallas shot 33.7 percent from behind the arc (25th in the league) on 27.3 attempts per game (30th, dead last in the NBA).

It must be noted that Davis didn't play in every game once he returned, but it was obvious that they would need much more shooting this offseason, especially when running their double-big plan. With the Mavs signing Gafford to a contract extension, it seems like the double-big strategy is here to stay, and one way for them to begin trending in the right direction when shooting once again is by slowly allowing Lively II to shoot some threes.

This isn't to say that he should be shooting multiple threes every single game, but him at least becoming a threat from outside would force defenders to stick with him, allowing the offense to be much more spaced out.

You can't win in today's NBA without shooting the ball well from deep, and while that will fall on most everyone else's shoulders before it falls on Lively II's, it's time that they begin to sprinkle in these looks as Lively II enters his third season in the NBA.