5 Dark horse candidates to eventually break into Mavericks' starting lineup

3. Dereck Lively II

The young man from Duke showed strides to getting better throughout the year and now his time to shine his now.

Dereck Lively II was speculated to become a starter for the Mavs already, and that could lead them to even brighter places next season.

Lively II would come in quickly off the bench for Daniel Gafford in the playoffs. This led to the question of Lively II starting in the near future. He showed strides of being a tenacious rebounder and emphatic shot blocker.

His pick-and-roll game was used beautifully with Luka Doncic, leading to a potential deadly one-two punch in future seasons.

Lively II has more of a mobile body than Gafford which might have an advantage for Lively II to start over Gafford.

Lively II was drafted as someone who could take the job as starting center. After last season, he has a strong argument for taking over Gafford's spot in the starting five.

His leadership was also noticed throughout the year, when he subtly told his superstar to not complain as much to the officials during the playoffs.

Lively II's character is already beloved around the Dallas area. His hardships last season have gotten through to Mavs fans.

He wasn't supposed to be this great, at least, not this early, but he is. It wouldn't be surprising if we see Lively II get the starting nod on opening night and his ceiling is clearly higher than Gafford's.