The reigning Defensive Player of the Year caught some hate from the Mavs' young star
is one of the most hated players in the NBA by fans and players. Maybe it's because they don't think he deserves to have four Defensive Player of the Year awards, but whenand former Maverick Theo Pinson. Lively recently appeared at an EYBL camp and talked with Pinson, who hosts their "Free Game" podcast. One of the campers asked, "Is it true they play whoever makes more money?" This was their response.
“But you’re paying him $40 to $50 million, you better get your a-- out there & figure it the f--- out," Pinson finished. "And he didn't," said Lively wholeheartedly. Gobert definitely had his struggles in the Conference Finals against Dallas but you wouldn't know it by looking at his stats, besides only having four blocked shots. The Mavs simply figured out how to attack Minnesota no matter who was on the court, whether it was Gobert protecting the paint and allowing for spray-put threes or if they went with more mobility by sticking/Naz Reid at center, which got Dallas' ball-handlers downhill more often.
It also helped Gobert's stats in the WCF that the Mavericks wanted him to touch the ball. Any possession that ended with someone other than, Naz Reid, or Towns shooting the ball was usually a win for the Mavs, especially when it was Gobert. When they were blowing the Wolves out early in Game 5, Gobert led the team in shot attempts in the first quarter with seven, which allowed Dallas to run out to a 35-19 lead by the end of the quarter.
Lively is still coming into his own as an NBA player, but he has a much higher offensive ceiling than Gobert does, though he hopes he can have Gobert's overall defensive impact someday and take home a Defensive Player of the Year or two. It'll be tough with Victor Wembanyama playing just a few hours away, but Lively did show that kind of potential in his rookie season.
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.
Former Dallas Mavericks All-Star Has No Desire To Return To CoachingAfter a bad tenure with the Brooklyn Nets, this former All-Star is happy to focus on his family
Read more »
5x NBA Champion Rips Dallas Mavericks Star Luka DoncicFive-time NBA Champion Michael Cooper spoke about Luka Doncic on his podcast.
Read more »
NBA Fans React To Kyrie Irving's Deep Post On XDallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving sent out a post on X.
Read more »
NBA Star Klay Thompson Shares Strong Message For Young Basketball PlayersDallas Mavericks star Klay Thompson offered advice to younger basketball players.
Read more »
Rising Democratic star admits falsely claiming Bronze Star awardDemocratic Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland admitted to the New York Times that he made an 'honest mistake' claiming to have received a Bronze Star on an application for a White House fellowship in 2006.
Read more »
Wembanyama named FIBA's 'Rising Star,' makes 'All-Star Five' teamA FIBA panel named Victor Wembanyama the “Rising Star” of the Paris Games and selected him to its “All-Star Five” team.
Read more »