The Dallas Mavericks selected their franchise center with the 12th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft as they landed Dereck Lively II. He transformed the team and played a crucial role in the team's run to the 2024 NBA Finals. Lively was overcoming a personal tragedy during the 2024 Playoffs - the loss of his mother, Kathy Drysdale. Lively opened up to ESPN about her passing and how his teammates supported him and became his new family.
"My mom had NVS, it is a form of leukemia. I came back one night and I looked her in the eye and she wasn't there. April 12th she passed. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to react, I didn't know where to go."
"Each and every single one of my teammates got up and said, 'If you need anything, just let me know.' My friends are my teammates. They're the only people who see how I act, they can tell if I'm a little off, and they did, and they tried to make sure they could do anything they could to get my mind off things or even talk to me about it if I needed to."
The All-Rookie selection saw his mother battle Hodgkins-Lymphoma for the last decade. While her health had improved around the time of the 2023 NBA Draft, leading to Drysdale becoming a permanent fixture at Mavs games, cheering her son on, she would fall sick again.
She was a single mother and raised Lively into being one of the best high-school prospects in the country before watching him commit to the Duke Blue Devils and be drafted with a lottery pick to a contending franchise.
Kathy didn't get to see his incredible Playoff run, where he averaged 7.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists over 21 games. Lively had a historic Conference Finals in particular, averaging 9.5 points and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 100% from the field (16-16 FG) in four games.
Lively valued his mother dearly, moving her into his house after he moved to Dallas post-Draft, a testament to his desire to pay her back for raising him the way she did despite her sickness.
Dereck Lively II Should Start For The Mavericks
The Mavericks went on an 18-2 run towards the end of last season which saw them climb from the Play-In tournament to the No. 5 seed in the West, a stretch where the Mavericks benched Lively and promoted Daniel Gafford to starting center. But Lively's versatility was a massive tool in the Playoffs, where he continued to come off the bench and dominate the minutes he got.
Even though Gafford is currently a better rim-protector and lob-finisher, Lively needs to be the full-time starter for the franchise to improve those skills as he's shown to be excellent on that end as well. Lively adds another dimension to the Mavs as a better switching option compared to Gafford and is leagues better as a passer and short-roll decision-maker.
He's the future of the franchise and could be Luka Doncic's co-star for another decade, so in the interest of his progressions, it might be time for him to start. If it isn't working out well, the Mavs can easily plug Daniel Gafford back into the starting lineup as they seamlessly plugged him in after a mid-season trade last February.
