Rumors: Mavericks rookie center 'continues to turn heads' at training camp

The Dallas Mavericks addressed their biggest need this summer when they drafted former Duke center Dereck Lively II with the No. 12 overall pick.

Dallas traded down from pick 10 to 12 while shedding Davis Bertans' contract and acquired the draft rights to Lively II.

Lively II was impressive during NBA Summer League, showing that he can be a great rim protector, and he has already been named as the starting center for Dallas during the early preseason.

Rumors: Mavericks rookie center 'continues to turn heads' at training camp

Luka Doncic has already said that he has good chemistry with Lively II, and they've displayed that in training camp practice and it seems like all signs are pointing to Lively II being the starting center on opening night if he performs well during the preseason.

According to a report by Marc Stein on his weekly radio show "The Saturday Stein Line with Marc Stein," Lively II has "continued to turn heads" and has been described as having "high energy" and "great spirit(s)" by Stein's sources.

Stein also said that he thinks Lively II will end up being the starting center on opening night against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

Dallas has started Dwight Powell at center for the last few years, and it seems that he could be moving to more of a reserve role depending on how preseason goes. Preseason is all about seeing how Lively II fits next to Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Grant Williams.

If he is a great fit, we could see rookies Lively II and Wembanyama battle it out on opening night. This would be a great early test for Lively II, and all eyes would be on that battle at the AT&T Center.

We'll have you covered with all the latest news and rumors surrounding the Dallas Mavericks and Dereck Lively II, so stay tuned.