Mavericks rookie is developing crucial skill to become unstoppable

On Sunday night, the Dallas Mavericks battled the Boston Celtics in Game 2 on the road. The Mavs were coming off a blowout Game 1 loss, and they followed that up with a narrow 105-98 loss.

Dallas needed this win badly, and them not panicking after Game 1 was a good sign heading into Game 2. The team was much more poised and ready to play, but Kyrie Irving's struggles continued. The series is now 2-0 heading back to Dallas, and Luka Doncic and Irving must find a way to claw out a win in Game 3.

Someone else who has been big for Dallas in the 2024 NBA Playoffs is rookie Dereck Lively II, and there's a new part of his game that he's been working on that would make him unstoppable in a few years.

Dereck Lively II's development as a shooter would make him unstoppable

Lively II told Amen and Ausar Thompson that he has been working on his 3-point shooting, and said "give me a year or two" when talking about his shooting.

Lively II's 3-point shooting is something commonly talked about among Mavs fans considering how well he shoots them in practice and warmups, and him adding a consistent jumper from outside would make him unstoppable.

Lively II is already elite in the pick and roll as a dunker, and him being able to knock down open threes would open up the pick-and-pop game for him and Doncic. Doncic has had trust in Lively II since day one, and this would make this duo even more lethal.

The mechanics are there for Lively II, and him continuing to work on shots from downtown during practice will allow him to continue develop this part of his game and slowly incorporate it into real games. Lively II hasn't even attempted to shoot threes in games yet this season, but him adding this to his game over the next few years could turn him into one of the best bigs in the NBA.

For all the latest on Dereck Lively II and the Dallas Mavericks, stay tuned.