Dereck Lively II reveals new weapon in his game that Mavericks fans will love

June 14, 2024.

Excitement was in the air at the American Airlines Center as the Dallas Mavericks were fighting for their lives in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Dallas had dropped the first three games of the series, but Game 4 had a different feeling.

Dallas was down 11-10 with just over six minutes remaining in the first quarter in Game 4, but the energy felt different at the American Airlines Center. The Mavs had their backs against the wall, and one play that happened with about 6:15 remaining in the quarter instilled a wonder inside Mavs fans.

Although it was a simple catch-and-shoot corner three, it meant much more than that.

Dereck Lively II is ready to start letting it fly from downtown

Dereck Lively II drilled the first 3-pointer of his career at this moment, and the American Airlines Center crowd erupted. Fans weren't used to seeing Lively II shoot threes, and the fluidity, release, and comfort of that jumper caused Mavs fans to wonder when they would start seeing him shoot threes regularly.

Lively II was frequently seen working on catch-and-shoot corner threes during his pregame workouts, often accompanied by Tyson Chandler, but he had never really brought it out in a game. He always flashed the ability to be a good shooter in practice, but it never translated to games because he didn't take these shots to begin with.

Now Lively II seems completely open to taking these shots, and fans are going to love how he talked about his 3-point shooting within seconds of his press conference beginning at Media Day.

Lively II said he isn't going to be out there forcing threes, but he is definitely going to take the shots that come to him. He is focused on being dominant in the paint, but he also isn't against letting it fly from downtown either.

"Whatever shots come to me, I'm going to take," Lively II said. "Some games it might be one to two (threes), some games it might be more."

Lively II's answer shows how much he truly understands the game and his role with Dallas, and he is as mature of a 20-year-old as you'll find. He understands that his 3-point shooting isn't one of the best parts of his game, but he seems to know that he is a capable shooter.

Lively II will be looking to take these shots when the defense gives them to him, and that will help unlock a new part of Dallas' offense. As he said, he'll remain focused on getting his teammates the ball in their spots before worrying about him taking threes, but it'll help the Mavs once he can consistently make threes as the defense will be forced to respect him.

If Lively II can be a respectable shooter, it'll force opposing bigs to leave the paint and stick with him on the perimeter, allowing players like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to have more room to operate. It'll also allow the Mavs to start utilizing the pick and pop with Lively II rather than just the pick and roll, and this would help the Mavs be even more dangerous than before.

Lively II will likely start things off slow when it comes to being a threat from downtown, but the sky is the limit for him if he can consistently make these shots. He has already shown that he is going to be a key piece in Dallas for years to come, and him expanding his game to outside the 3-point line would put him in a great spot to become one of the best bigs in the NBA one day.