3 things Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II must improve to reach his ceiling

Dereck Lively II is arguably the Mavs' most intriguing young prospect right now. The 19-year-old rookie is already getting acclimated in training camp with Dallas, as Jason Kidd is running him along with Olivier-Maxence Prosper in the starting lineup to start training camp.

Now obviously things can change, and Dallas will definitely sift through a ton of various different lineups throughout preseason and training camp after Jason Kidd recently alluded to the last two spots in the starting lineup are "up for grabs."

3 things Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II must improve to reach his ceiling

Despite nothing being finalized though, Dereck Lively II is already making an impressive start to his Dallas Mavericks career and has been steadily improving since the end of the NBA Summer League, per head coach Jason Kidd.

Lively II has a huge ceiling, and if he can continue to make progress at this rate throughout the course of his development, he'll be one of the premiere centers in the league going forward.

Here are 3 things Dereck Lively II must improve to reach his ceiling.

3. Rebounding and Defense

You might be asking why rebounding and defense are on this list when they are two categories in which the 7-foot-1 rookie is projected to do very well. Lively II epitomizes 'big skill', and is insanely mobile for his frame. Despite this, the rookie will need to improve upon his defensive and rebounding awareness.

There were plenty of instances in this past year's NBA Summer League where Lively II would try to overcompensate with length and athleticism to get rebounds, and he'd in turn, be left in a position where his man had fronted him already, causing him to foul.

Lively II will need to work harder against bigger-bodied centers on the glass, especially at the NBA level. Athleticism and size will only go so far against the strength of most starting-caliber NBA centers, and if Lively II is going to be in as prominent of a role as Jason Kidd is potentially forecasting for him, he'll need to continue to add strength and improve his technique when boxing out.

Lively II's shot-blocking and mobility on defense were extremely encouraging performance markers for Lively II's continued development as a rim protector this past NBA Summer League in July. However, he was periodically caught out of position within Dallas' defensive rotations and had trouble defending opposing bigs in certain one-on-one scenarios.

Lively II luckily has the one of most praised centers in Dallas Mavericks history, Tyson Chandler, aiding in his development. Chandler worked with Lively II throughout Summer League as well as training camp, and he obviously knows a thing or two about rebounding and defense.

Chandler and Lively II have already built up a pretty good relationship in their short time getting to know each other, so if Lively II continues to be a sponge to Chandler's advice, he'll be a complete defensive player in no time.

2. Shooting

Dereck Lively II only made two three-point shots throughout his entire freshman season with Duke last year, but his potential shooting ability has the potential to make him one of the most prolific centers in the NBA if he can harness it.

Lively II can be seen here, nailing three after three during his pro day ahead of the NBA Draft this past spring. Lively II clearly has some touch for a player of his immense size, but being able to shoot at a high rate consistently amidst NBA defenses trying as hard as they can to derail your shot will definitely take some time for the young rookie to get more consistent at.

Lively II didn't look too confident in his limited attempts from distance throughout NBA Summer League, but improving shot mechanics and continued repetition will yield positive results in the long run for the development of Lively II's shot in Dallas.

There have been very few centers in Dallas that have been able to both stretch the floor and rim-protect at a starting-caliber level. Kristaps Porzingis is perhaps the only Maverick in recent memory that could do this, and it's well documented the amount of lapses he had in terms of staying consistent on both ends of the court during his time in Dallas.

Dallas has been offered an extremely rare breed of player if Lively II can capitalize upon his shooting development throughout the course of his career, and they could be looking at a Myles Turner (who would fit perfectly in Dallas) prototype if Lively II is able to do so.

If Lively II could mold his shooting into something that is palpable, then Dallas would finally have the long-coveted prototypical modern-day rim protector that can stretch the floor that they've always wanted.

Shooting is never easy to improve upon for a player of Lively II's size, and only time will tell how well he's able to improve his shooting, but if he can even be a slight threat from the outside, it would unlock the keys to the toolbox in this Mavericks offense with Luka Doncic.

1. Screen-setting

Every single facet of the game of basketball is extremely important when you are trying to win games, especially at the NBA level. Details as minute as screen-setting could have major implications on a game if the mistake is repeated time after time.

Dereck Lively II's arguably biggest area of improvement will be in the screen-setting department. Lively II has a huge body and catch radius as a rim-roller, and he flashed just how dynamic he can be for Dallas in the pick-and-roll as a lob threat throughout various junctures during this past NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Lively II will also be getting set up in rhythm better in the pick-and-roll by Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, compared to the Mavs' Summer League guards that were facilitating him the rock this past July in Las Vegas. However, Lively II will still need to improve his ability to set screens drastically if he doesn't want to get played off the court on the NBA stage.

Lively II tends to always slip on his screens, meaning he foregoes actually setting the screen in an attempt to beat the defensive player who's tagging the roll-man by virtue of speed and athleticism, rather than anchoring down and setting a stout on-ball screen.

Slipping the pick-and-roll works well against certain defensive coverages, as can be seen below when Lively II caught an alley-oop from Luka Doncic on day one of Mavs training camp.

However, there will be plenty of times when Lively II will need to use his strength and cement himself as the on-ball screener, especially given that Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving tend to snake the pick-and-roll a lot of time, which requires a strong ball screen at the point of attack.

Lively II shouldn't have too much trouble getting better at screening as he puts on more size and becomes more disciplined, but it's one of his most glaring weak points that will need to improve if he wishes to reach his potential as a player

We'll have you covered with all the latest news and rumors surrounding the Dallas Mavericks as we continue to go through training camp and preseason, so stay tuned.