3 reasons Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II will be a fan favorite

1. Dereck Lively II will bring an athletic pop to Dallas

With a 7-foot-1 frame, it's hard to not think that Lively II will bring an athletic jump to Dallas. The Mavericks struggled with one dimensionality last season, which in large part led to their 38-44 record. Bringing in young players and Lively II will turn that narrative around.

Having young athletic players will help this team get out of the one-dimensionality conversation.

Lively II will use his long frame to catch lobs and throw down monstrous dunks. Having teammates like Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic will only create more opportunities for Lively II to develop on the offensive side of the ball. The two stars will draw enough attention that if Lively II can learn to move off-ball and get himself open he should have plenty of open looks down low.

Throughout spurts of Summer League, we saw Lively II take advantage of certain situations. The Mavericks' previous center personnel prevented them from taking advantage of smaller defenders and having Lively II in the rotation will allow the Mavs to abuse these mismatches down low.

However, Lively II's youth could come to hurt him in certain situations, especially as a rookie (which is expected). Oftentimes during Summer League, we would see Lively II get put into some unfavorable situations due to his lack of experience at the professional level. Allowing Lively II to play through these growing pains will be crucial to the Mavericks' future success. The fermentation Tyson Chandler mentorship will also help Lively II grow into a rotational piece for the Mavericks.

Dereck Lively II will surely become a fan favorite, these three aforementioned reasons are some prime examples as to why he will become a favorite. For more offseason updates as training camp nears, stay tuned.