Despite the claims made by some pundits, the big man has been experiencing a renaissance in the NBA.
Nikola Jokic is the reigning NBA Finals MVP. Joel Embiid is the reigning regular season MVP, and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis is perhaps the best two-way star big man in the game today. On the next tier down are standouts Domantas Sabonis, Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis.
The Lakers should give serious consideration to starting Davis at the 4 and splitting his minutes between the 4 and 5 spots, as they did during the 2019-20 season when they won the NBA championship. That would require beefing up their depth at the center spot, and they may be able to do that in Thursday’s draft.
One intriguing center prospect Los Angeles recently worked out is Dereck Lively II from Duke University.
Lively is young but has potential
Many of the draft prospects the Lakers have brought in lately have been older, and some have been as old as 24 or 25. Lively, on the other hand, is just 19. Therefore, he has more upside, especially since he was the top-ranked player in his high school graduating class.
At 7-foot-1 and 230 pounds, he has legitimate size for the center position in the NBA. He is an outstanding shot blocker and rim protector, and he averaged 2.4 blocks in just 20.6 minutes a game this past season for the Blue Devils. He grabbed 5.4 rebounds a game, making him seem to be a decent rebounder as well.
Lively isn’t much of an offensive threat at this point. His baskets are mostly limited to fast-break opportunities, lob passes and easy baskets off passes near the basket.
However, he runs the floor very well, which would make him a good fit for the Lakers’ fast-breaking offense. In addition, he reportedly has a vertical leap of over 40 inches and a wingspan of as much as 7-foot-8, which makes him a great target for lob passes. Therefore, he has the potential to become a great pick-and-roll partner.
Lively doesn’t have much of a back-to-the-basket game yet, nor is he an outside shooting threat. However, Lively said the Lakers were very impressed with his shooting during his workout.
Dereck Lively II said he worked out for the Lakers and that the team was “blown away” with his shooting. Attended a bunch of Laker games down the stretch with Klutch reps.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 21, 2023
Lively is expected to be a first-round pick. If the Lakers take him, it would likely be more for the future, although one could see him contributing right away in a limited role off the bench as a rim protector and rim runner.
