How this Mavericks legend can turn rookie Dereck Lively II into an All-Star

Dereck Lively II has heard all the Tyson Chandler comparisons since the moment he was traded to Dallas on draft night.

The dimensions of the two 7-footers are nearly identical. Both are listed at 7-foot-1, and Lively II somehow has an even longer wingspan than the 7-foot-3 wingspan of Chandler, as he possesses an astounding 7-foot-7 wingspan.

Along with them being similarly built, Lively II and Chandler were both highly touted recruits coming out of high school. Chandler chose to go straight to the NBA right out of high school, an option not currently available for players in today's game.

Lively II opted for the pristine Duke University as he had the pick of the litter in terms of Power 5 offers to choose from, but both players clearly have displayed that they come from humble beginnings.

Tyson Chandler is the perfect role model and mentor for Dereck Lively II

Chandler didn't have an easy route to becoming one of the highest-paid centers in the NBA and had to stand tall in the midst of adversity growing up. He highlighted this in an interview with Andscape's Marc J. Spears a few years ago.

"My circumstances were tough. When I was sophomore and a junior, my family was homeless. I was staying from couch to couch."

Tyson Chandler

Lively II has had quite an egregious journey to the NBA as well.

His father died of a drug overdose when he was only seven years old, and his mother, Kathy Drysdale, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma only two years later. Despite a seemingly unfathomable amount of pain and adversity that Lively II had to face at such a young age, he hasn't let that distract them from his main goal of reaching the NBA and making his parents proud.

Chandler and Lively II aren't pure replicas at the end of the day, but the point remains that the Mavs have two extremely hard-working, humble, and tough individuals in Chandler and Lively II. Chandler is the perfect mentor to an eager Lively II and will be able to recite his experiences and tribulations he faced in the NBA to Lively to help him develop.

In an interview with Dallas Basketball's Dalton Trigg, Lively II voiced his excitement about having Chandler as a mentor.

"Man, It's honestly amazing. You know, I've never actually been coached by a big. I've never been coached by someone who's (a seven-footer), somebody who's been in this game, who knows the details, the tricks, the nitty-gritty things. Just being able to be in games, be in practices, and just having somebody to ask questions – ask about timing, ask about footwork, ask about when to do something and when not to – is just a great asset to have. Being able to have him in my corner right now, I'm just so grateful, and I'm just gonna take advantage of it daily."

Dereck Lively

As expected, Chandler is equally excited about getting a chance to mentor Lively II and was very complimentary when asked about Lively on the "All the Smoke" podcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes.

"[I'm] trying to get him right. He wants to learn, he's active, and right now he's a sponge."

Tyson Chandler

Dereck Lively II knows what he has to improve on and will

Lively has a ton of work to do in nearly every facet of the game. He's a gifted athlete and has the potential to be a game-changing rim protector, but adding size to his frame as well as being out of position on defense will be huge points of emphasis that Chandler will need to inflict on Lively II as he continues to develop.

Both Chandler and Lively had limited offensive arsenals coming into the NBA outside of rim running and offensive rebounding. Dereck flashed a three-point jump shot at Duke last season, but it was inconsistent and will need plenty of work. Playing with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving will help Lively get the ball with more space to work with, but there's still a lot that Lively will need to fine-tune.

Chandler thinks he can shorten the learning curve for Lively though and talked about the mentorship he can provide to make Lively a more expansive player than even Chandler was himself in an interview with Dallas Basketball's Grant Afseth.

"I want him to be better than me, to be honest. I'm trying to teach him things that I learned later and during the course of my career. Trying to shorten his learning curve, but I see a lot of great things. I love his attitude. He's willing to learn. He comes in with a great spirit every day, works really hard, and is a really good teammate."

Tyson Chandler

Chandler is already rubbing off on Lively to a pretty high degree, and it could be seen this past Summer League in Las Vegas, as Lively II was highly vocal on defense for a young player. Lively II was extremely humble regarding how he played in the Summer League after some up-and-down outings, and he and the Mavs know there is a lot to work on going forward.

Chandler only ended up finishing with one All-Star appearance throughout his historic career that featured an NBA Championship, Defensive Player of the Year award, and Olympic Gold Medal. Tyson was an other-worldly talent on defense and was a great rebounder, but he was admittedly pretty limited in his offensive game, especially as the modern NBA playstyle continued to adapt.

Lively II is only 19 years old, and if Chandler can shorten the learning curve for Lively II on some of the more principle aspects of being an NBA big and move onto the intangibles that will make Lively elite, then Lively will be a huge force to reckon with and an All-Star level center whenever that day comes.

There is no guarantee that Lively II will reach that level. But with a mentor like Chandler who can provide a unique level of relatability to the ever-receptive young Lively II, as well as the physical tools that not even Chandler himself had, Lively II could very well project to be an All-Star caliber player for Dallas in the coming years, especially if Chandler stays on staff as a mentor.

We'll have you covered with all the latest news and rumors surrounding the Dallas Mavericks for the rest of this offseason and training camp, so stay tuned.