April 21, 2024, Dereck Lively II returned to the hardboard after a brief absence. He was seen smiling during the opening minutes of the game but deep within there was a sorrow that no one saw but everyone felt. “My heart breaks saying goodbye to the most important person in the world to me,” Dereck Lively II shared the news of his deceased mother on Instagram earlier this year. Before she could see her son making a playoff debut, Kathy Drysdale silently left the world after fighting with leukaemia for a decade. Lively opened up about it in ESPN’s original series, Clutch: The NBA Playoffs. Lively talked about his mother’s passing and how Luka Doncic and Co. helped him in that tough stage of life.

While narrating his story Lively informed that his mother had MDS which was a type of Leukemia. “I came back one night and I just looked her in the eyes and it was just she wasn’t there. April 12th, she passed. And I didn’t know what to do.” He mentioned how bewildered he felt after losing the dearest one to him.

The 20-year-old had already lost his father at the age of eight, so felt he had nowhere to go, and no one to be with. However, “Each and every single one of my teammates got up and said, if you need anything, just let me know,” Lively said, highlighting how his teammates are his friends. “They’re the only people who kinda, like, see how I act. They could tell if I’m a little off, and they did. And they tried to make sure that they could do anything they could, you know, to get my mind off of things or even talk to me about it if I needed to.” The mental support that his teammates provided when he was at his lowest is undeniably commendable.

Besides giving a closer look at Lively’s life, the eight-episode series showcased the journey of NBA stars like Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown Jalen Brunson and so on and the challenges they faced during the postseason tournament. The first episode aired on Oct 7 and ended on the 20th of this month. You can watch the series exclusively on ESPN2 and ESPN+. Now with months passed from the event, Lively is ready to take a bigger role with the Mavs.

Dereck Lively II could be an integral part of Mavericks in the new season

In Luka Doncic’s absence in the preseason games, Lively took charge of putting up points for the Mavs. Although the team had a hard time dealing with 3-of-4 losses, the 7-foot-1 center proved with his performance that he can be an asset in the upcoming regular season. Impressed with his on-court actions, head coach, Jason Kidd, showered him with praise.

“He’s been great in practice and in the games. His touch around the rim with the baby hooks are really really nice,” Kidd said in the post-game presser following their win against the Bucks. “To go to him in the post, I think that’s something that we can look to, especially with the space we’ll have with guys on the perimeter”

Lively took 17 minutes to score 10 points against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co., along with grabbing 9 rebounds. Overall, he added 21 rebounds to his name in the preseason. Once the real competition starts, more of his skills can be expected to be unleashed with which he can help his extended family to finally bag the championship title which they missed by an inch last season.