Dereck Lively II is the secret to reviving Klay Thompson's game in Dallas

The development of Dereck Lively II was one of the biggest storylines of the entire 2023-24 season for the Dallas Mavericks.

Lively II went from people doubting how he'd perform in year one to being a dominant starter, and he was an intricate piece to Dallas winning games early on. The Mavs went 0-5 in the first five games that Lively II missed in his NBA career, and his performance as a rookie was impressive to all.

Although Lively II became the backup big man once Daniel Gafford was traded to Dallas, he separated himself from Gafford in the playoffs and all signs are pointing to Lively II taking over that starting spot this upcoming season.

Lively II's passing in the short roll will help Thompson tremendously

Lively II was an absolute monster for Dallas in the playoffs, and he is poised to make an even bigger impact now that Klay Thompson is a Maverick. When thinking of who is going to help Thompson the most, almost everyone thinks of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving due to the attention they command when the ball is in their hands, but Lively II is going to be a huge help to Thompson in a massive way as well.

As Lively II's rookie season went on, he became more and more comfortable as a passer in the short roll. Lively II was a lob threat immediately, but his passing out of the short roll is something that doesn't get talked about enough.

Lively II seems to always make the right decision when the defense collapses on him, and that's where Thompson is going to come into the picture.

When Lively II and Doncic are operating in the pick and roll and Lively II gets the ball in the short roll, he is going to have plenty of opportunities to find Thompson on the perimeter for open threes. Thompson is one of the greatest catch-and-shoot players to play the game, and he is going to get an abundance of good looks coming off of Lively II passes in the short roll.

This is also another reason that makes Lively II a better fit in the starting lineup considering that passing out of the short roll isn't one of Gafford's strengths. Doncic, Irving, Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Lively II are going to be an excellent starting five (if Lively II becomes the starter), and each player compliments the others beautifully.

The Lively II-Thompson on-court pairing is going to be fun to watch as the season goes on, and if Lively II can get a bit more aggressive in the short roll this pairing will become even more dangerous. Lively II showed flashes that he can be a good scorer out of the short roll when he is playing with confidence and assertiveness, but he seems to be more comfortable with passing out of these situations rather than putting the ball on the floor and finishing at the rim.

If Lively II can command a bit more attention when he gets the ball in the short roll, the sky is the limit for Dallas. Thompson's looks from downtown coming off of kick-out passes are going to be even more open, and this will make Dallas' offense much tougher to stop.