The Dallas Mavericks are going to have two young players around long-term after exercising their third-year options.
The NBA regular season has made its return. The Dallas Mavericks have to wait a couple of days into their season as they host Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. One season removed from making the NBA Finals, the Mavericks are entering the season with high expectations.
Last season, during the club's deep postseason run, Dereck Lively II broke out during his rookie campaign. The second-year center is expected to make a large impact as the Duke product was pivotal in the playoffs as a rookie. On Wednesday, the Mavericks announced they are exercising the third-year option for Lively, as well as Olivier-Maxence Prosper. The two young players hoist high potential for Dallas and the club will keep them around as they continue to build a contender around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.During his rookie season, Lively appeared in 55 games with 42 starts, averaging 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. While his numbers aren't eye-popping as he appeared in just 23.
Lively is capable of covering the floor horizontally and vertically as a defender, as he can fill up plenty of space on the floor as a defender. Offensively, he plays off Dallas' key players, Doncic and Irving, perfectly as a screener and a lob threat. There's even some potential for him to grow as a floor-spacer, though that'd be an addition to his game that isn't necessarily needed.
Maxence-Prosper is more of a long-term project rather than an instant-impact player like Lively, but it makes sense for the team to keep him around as a young player. His potential to become a rotational player with some development is worth the team betting on.Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's FanNation in 2022.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Texas Rangers, Dallas Mavericks Candidates to Join Dallas Stars in Free StreamingDallas Stars president Brad Alberts left open the possibility of the Texas Rangers and Dallas Mavericks joining VICTORY+, a free streaming service available in Texas and neighboring states.
Read more »
Dallas Mavericks embracing pressure this season: 'We're not going to run from the expectations'After getting a taste of the Finals for the first time in 14 years, the team is clear about it's intention to bring a trophy back to Dallas.
Read more »
Mavericks Extend Young Guard On Three-Year DealThe Dallas Mavericks extend one of their young players
Read more »
Win 2 tickets to Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs!Enter below to win 2 tickets to the Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs! Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio SpursMore InfoThu • Oct 24, 2024...
Read more »
Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall announces retirementDallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall announced she will retire at the end of the year after 6 years in her role.
Read more »
Dallas Mavericks Re-Sign Prospect to Two-Way DealAfter being waived on Tuesday, the Mavericks decided to use their last two-way spot to bring him back
Read more »