The trajectory is good, the movement relaxed. On this video dated September 2022, Dereck Lively II seems very comfortable punishing, unopposed, behind the arc in the corner.
During his only university season at Duke, the pivot used this weapon little: 2/13 in total in 34 games. Once you arrive in the NBA, this ratio will be even less important: two missed attempts in total in 55 games.
Until ending on a beautiful symbolic note with a first career winning shot converted in the NBA final. The Mavs pivot has so far behaved like a classic pivot, who stays in the paint and remains a threat on lobbed passes.
Al Horford has taken a liking to 3-pointers
But what about the future? During the five games of this NBA final, the rookie battled with Al Horford who also, when he arrived in the league, did not use the 3-point shot at all. With less than five attempts made per year during his first seasons, the former Florida player made a spectacular change starting with the 2015-2016 season with the Hawks.
Like other classic pivots like Brook Lopez, he had to adapt to the evolution of the game by moving further and further away from the circle. Result: this season again, Al Horford tried his luck four times… per match (with 42% success rate!).
Timely development
Could the Celtics center become a role model for Derek Lively II? “ I think there is a balance. There is always an evolution in the individual game. It’s been almost a year since we drafted him. This is why we could see that he had improved, not only in terms of his power, but also in other areas », constate Jason Kidd, who spoke ahead of Game 5.
And the Mavs coach considers that his young interior is capable of “ to pull. You know, he has the ability. He has a great trajectory beyond the arc. And so, in due time, he’ll probably be a player who shoots a lot of 3-pointers. »
It’s all about “in due time”, because for now, while waiting to add this dimension of outside shooting, the Philadelphia native’s game more closely resembles that of his mentor, Tyson Chandler.
« For now, his strengths lie in offensive rebounds, vertical play, ability to defend on the ball and protect the rim “, lists his coach, while the player shows patience: “ Why would I want to take a 3-pointer if today I have Luka (Doncic) et Kai (Irving) who come off a screen to get a wide open 3-pointer? They will shoot better than me. »
However, he warns: “ But I’m definitely going to take 3-pointers in the future. »
2024-06-19 08:15:01
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