It is rare to see a team go from missing the playoffs to an appearance in the NBA Finals, but the Dallas Mavericks were able to do exactly that.
With remarkable year-over-year improvement, Dallas will face the Boston Celtics for a chance to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2024. This comes a year after the Mavericks seemingly opted out of the 2023 NBA postseason by resting players toward the end of the campaign.
After an epic collapse shortly after trading for Kyrie Irving, there was a clear moment in which they waved the white flag on the disappointing year. It was a decision made out of necessity, though.
If they made the playoffs or if they had worse lottery luck, their draft pick would have gone to the Knicks as part of the 2019 deal for Porzingis. But instead, they ended up with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Fortunately for the Mavericks, they were able to retain the pick. Dallas easily could have shopped the pick around to try to get immediate value by trading for a veteran. Instead, they selected Dereck Lively II from Duke and became one of the biggest winners of draft night.
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While he didn’t have the most productive one-and-done freshman year for the Blue Devils and fell a bit from his lofty preseason projections, now the he is in the pros, the center has already exceeded any and all expectations.
This decision to call his name was easily one of the most savvy moves that helped Dallas get to where they are today.
Lively was an immediately impactful defensive player but also had a very positive presence on the offensive end of the floor, especially as a lob threat for Luka Doncic.
The front office for Dallas likely expected him to develop a reputation for himself as an elite rim protector, but he also became one of the most prolific dunkers and alley-oop finishers right away as well.
Only 20 years old, the former Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year and McDonald’s All-American has established himself as one of the league’s most promising young centers.
Lively earned Second-Team All-Rookie honors and finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting. If his trajectory continues as he has already shown, he is someone who can eventually earn serious consideration for All-Defense.
Had the Mavericks made the playoffs last season, Lively may have heard his name called by a different organization. Without him, Dallas likely wouldn’t have had the same success this season.
