Every year, many talented players fulfill their NBA dream in the draft. But very few can keep up with the pros and impact winning immediately. The same cannot be said for Mavs rookie Dereck Lively II. Helping his team reach the Conference Finals, Lively has had an incredible rookie year that might have flown under the radar. And adding to his amazing season, Lively joined the elite company of Spurs legend Manu Ginobili while going up against the Timberwolves in tonight’s Game 2 of the West Finals.

While as a rookie, Lively doesn’t get the chance to fill the stat sheet very often, his impact on the team goes far beyond his numbers. In these playoffs, the first of his career, Lively has gained a plus-minus rating of +106. With that number, he also joined the elite club of rookies with the highest plus-minus rating in the playoffs since 1997. And the only rookie with a higher rating than Dereck was four-time Champion Manu Ginobili, with a whopping +191.

Not too far behind is a rookie from the 2022 draft class who had his rookie season this year because of injury, OKC star Chet Holmgren at +75. In a stage where even the biggest superstars sometimes crumble under pressure, Dereck has had a more impactful role in his team than ROTY runner up Holmgren. A metric started to measure the intangible value of a player by how his presence or absence on the court affects the performance of his team, Dereck’s plus-minus rating proves how important he is for the Mavs squad. And joining the company of Manu, who helped the Spurs win multiple titles, Dereck is surely on the right path to success.

Dereck Lively II Stats

From the beginning of the season, Lively’s hunger to learn and competitive spirit was evident on and off the court. Playing 55 games during the regular season, he got to start in forty-two of those games and was a major reason why the Mavs finished as the fifth seed. Averaging nearly nine points and seven rebounds, Lively’s numbers were not as attractive as some of the other star rookies in his draft class. But with his defensive presence and setting picks for Luka and Kyrie to get them open shots, Lively always positively impacted his team.

Continuing the same trend, Lively has been crucial for the Mavs in the playoffs as well. Scoring a little over eight points every night and grabbing over seven boards, the rookie has been of massive help to his team. More importantly, he has held the Mavs defense in the absence of Maxi Kleber, by averaging 1.2 blocks.

“It was amazing to see. [Him having] +26 in a playoff game is insane, and he’s been doing this being a rookie. He has unbelievable potential. I’m just glad the Mavs drafted him.” Even Luka was mesmerized by what Lively had been able to do as a rookie. And hopefully, his contribution will help the Mavs win a title just like Manu Ginobili did in 2003 as a rookie with the Spurs.

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