3 studs, 2 duds from Mavericks Summer League win over 76ers

1. Stud - Dereck Lively II

Yeah, the hype is real. Dereck Lively II is going to be awesome for the Dallas Mavericks this season, and we’ve come to this conclusion after only two Summer League games.

Imagine how great Lively will be once he gets a few NBA games under his belt against big-league competition. Plus, he’ll be playing alongside Luka Doncic? Watch out, NBA.

If you hadn’t picked up on the vibe just yet, Lively was pretty great against the Philadelphia 76ers, despite not necessarily having the stat sheet to back up that claim. But that’s become his MO of sorts, as that was also the case at Duke.

Lively finished the game with eight points, 11 rebounds (four of which were offensive), and two assists while shooting 4-of-5 from the floor. But as has been the case with Lively thus far, the things that didn’t show up in the box score were most impressive.

His defensive instincts have been great, his athleticism is next-level, and for a guy whose offensive game wasn’t really there in college, he has great hands.

After another game of impressive play, and this time, with an increase in minutes (23:33), Mavericks fans should be getting overwhelmingly excited about Lively and his potential fit as the team’s starting center moving forward.