MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – MAY 24: Luka Doncic #77 and Dereck Lively II #2 of the Dallas Mavericks … [+]
The Dallas Mavericks will be without its superstar, Luka Dončić, for at least the next month after the 25-year-old had to leave the Christmas Day game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Dončić, diagnosed with a left calf strain, will more than likely be ineligible for MVP, and All-NBA honors as a result of time missed.
Awards aren’t the biggest concerns, however. The Mavericks, who made the Finals last season, will now have to settle into life without Dončić drawing double-teams, and offering near-nightly triple-doubles.
A major responsibility now lie on the shoulders of Dallas’ secondary star, Kyrie Irving, who will have to take over the role of first option – one he’s fortunately been in before, and is accustomed to.
After Irving, though, there is a drastic offensive drop-off. Klay Thompson, who signed a $50 million deal with Dallas over the offseason, is slowing down due to age and injuries, and flat-out cannot be relied upon to carry an extra offensive burden.
PJ Washington, while in possession of a significant skill set, is too inconsistent to truly lean into a bigger offensive role.
So, what are the Mavs to do?
One idea could be to expand the role of Dereck Lively, the team’s sophomore center, who had a strong rookie season.
Lively has gotten better this season, but not to the extent that many thought. More than likely, the roster turnover Dallas underwent during the offseason threw his role out of whack, suggesting he needed time to acclimate to the situation.
With Dončić out, and the Mavericks in clear need of more offensive production, now might be time for Lively, and head coach Jason Kidd, to have a conversation about increasing the 20-year-old’s role.
Lively, who’s shown great patience in the post since he entered the league, isn’t your usual young center. He’s intelligent, energetic, and not afraid to put the ball on the ground, even with a crowd of defenders around him.
While not a shooter, the 7’1 center has a rock solid release that offers upside in that category, backed up by the fact that he’s seen an 11 percentage-point increase to his free throw shooting this season.
Installing Lively as a key offensive component comes with the additional benefit of accelerating that part of his game. That means not limiting him to just being a rim-runner, but also use him more frequently as a short-roll playmaker, and a shot-creator off his own dribble.
There will be games where such an experiment will look premature, and where he’ll struggle. That’s part of the journey. No one goes from around eight shots per game, that are mostly taken under more careful circumstances, to taking 12-15 shots with more created off their own accord, and not experience adjustment issues.
But now is the time to make that type of investment into the future. Even if it comes at the expense of a few wins.
A month in a larger offensive role is not an insignificant time. That time period is substantial enough for Lively to pick up patterns, help realize the upside he has on that end of the floor, and become a more reliable offensive weapon for when Dončić returns.
Should Dončić end up missing more time, the investment is only further intriguing, as that provides more time for Lively to explore his own limitations.
This isn’t to say Lively should necessarily take 15 shots per game. That’s just an example. Nor should Lively feature in the offense to the extent where Irving isn’t allowed to have the green light.
But given the plans Dallas have for Lively long-term, and opportunity has risen here to prime him for said future, even if it’s at the expense of Dončić.
Question now is: Will the Mavs seize it?
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
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