Dereck Lively II becomes 100% real on Mavericks amid absences of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving
The The Dallas Mavericks did an amazing job holding down the fort in the absence of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic in recent weeks, currently five games above .500 before Tuesday night’s game tilt with the Denver Nuggets. Some of Dallas’ wins in their stretch without both stars include their recent demolition of the Los Angeles Lakers at home, which was arguably the team’s most impressive performance of the season under the circumstances.
One player who has been a key part of keeping the Mavericks going through this injury-riddled stretch is the sophomore big man Derek Lively IIwhich recently aired on ESPN break down how the team was able to achieve success despite the circumstances.
“We’ve just been leaning on each other, learning and growing together as a team,” Lively told ESPN’s NBA on X.
Can the Mavericks keep this up?
The Mavericks added quite a bit of depth to their roster this past offseason. The most notable name they acquired is future Hall of Fame guard Klay Thompson, but the team has also made some smaller plays, like Quentin Grimes and Najib Marshall, who have each had big performances recently to help the team stay afloat.
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The team also saw continued solid production from Lively, who is one of the best up-and-coming big men in the league and forms a very solid center duo alongside Daniel Gafford.
Of course, the Mavericks can only really be judged when both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are back on the court and healthy, and when that was the case this season, Dallas once again looked like a real contender and a team capable of going once again. on a deep playoff run.
The lack of perimeter shooting and offensive defense that plagued the team in their NBA Finals loss to the Boston Celtics appears to have been improved by the Mavericks’ offseason additions, and the team is clearly capable of weathering the storm when injury layoffs occur.
The Mavericks will next take the floor at home against the Nuggets on Tuesday at 9:30 PM ET from Dallas.
2025-01-14 21:00:00
