Mavs new rookie Dereck Lively II is working to become ‘the most coachable player in the floor’ after his Summer League debut

After selecting former Duke big man Dereck Lively II as their main target in last month’s 2023 NBA Draft, the Mavericks are excited to finally have seen him play in Saturday’s Summer League opener. 

The young athlete was able to drop four points, win five rebounds and produce one steal in just 16 minutes of play in Dallas’ 91-80 defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder this weekend.

After the game, the 19-year-old was interviewed by ESPN’s Jorge Sedano to talk about his future goals in the NBA, as well as how does it feel to share the floor with basketball icons such as Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.

“I just want to be the most coachable player on the floor,” Lively admitted, eager to improve his play. “Being able to just learn something from each game.”

Signed, sealed, delivered ✍️ @DereckLively is officially a Dallas Maverick. #MFFL pic.twitter.com/bmWI9G81AC

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) July 9, 2023

Last week both Lively and teammate rookie O-Max Propser were everything but arrogant during their introductory press conference. They dedicated their discourse to making sure everyone present knew that they’re there to work hard and learn how to fit in the Dallas team to help them win games.

Despite the teenage big man’s humility during his introduction, he was confident enough to claim that he’s out to become a ‘dominant force’ in the NBA.

“Thinking about accomplishments, I want to be able to be All-Rookie, all that,” he said. “I just want to be able to be a dominant force, no matter if that’s on the defensive end or offensive end.”

Even though his journey in the league is just awaiting to start, it’s always important to hear a young player show his determination to work harder than everyone else to chase his dreams.

His coaching staff praised him after his 16-minute debut against the Thunder this past weekend

Even though he only got to play 16 minutes in his Summer League debut this Saturday, it was enough to impress his coaching staff.

“He’s a great communicator. I thought his athletic ability was great to see. He was getting fouled a lot,” said Dallas assistant coach Jared Dudley, who is in charge of the team this Summer League.

Check out the highlights from the Mavericks’ summer debut against the Thunder this weekend:

“I think Lively is going to be great. He is a long big man that can jump, get rebounds, play defense,” teammate AJ Lawson said of his performance. “He talks. That’s one thing that I realized a lot. He talks a lot on the defensive end and it helps me and the other guys get through the screens and know how to rotate.”

Even though it’s still a question if the 19-year-old is to be a part of coach Jason Kidd’s regular rotation this upcoming season, the young talent is proving to have the ambition to one day become one of the best players in the NBA.

“I want people to know that when they wake up in the morning, they gotta play Dereck Lively,” he said. “That’s what I want it to be.”