The Dallas Mavericks’ prospects for the 2023-24 season got a boost in the 2023 NBA Draft as the Mavs brought in a pair of promising first round rookies to add to Coach Jason Kidd’s rotation in Big D.
Dallas GM Nico Harrison pulled off a pair of draft night trades. First Dallas sent the No. 10 overall pick and reserve sharpshooter Davis Bertans to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 12 overall pick, which the Mavericks used to select Duke big man Dereck Lively II. Later, the Mavs swung a deal with the Sacramento Kings, landing the No. 24 overall pick, which they used to select Canadian swingman Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Dallas also received reserve big man Richaun Holmes in the trade with Sacramento.
“We’re lucky to have these two young men,” Coach Kidd said of Lively and Prosper. “They’re ready to go. They’re ready to work. And we’re happy to have them as part of the Mavs family.”
Lively, a 7-foot-1 center, was a five-star recruit out of Westtown School in Philadelphia and made an instant impact on defense as a freshman at Duke last season, averaging 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
Because of his defensive prowess, Lively has drawn comparisons to former Mavericks big man Tyson Chandler, who, as fans of the team and J-Kidd will remember, was a huge factor in bringing a championship to Dallas back in 2011. The Mavs have lacked a presence inside over the last several years, a need J hopes can be filled by Lively.
“There are some similarities when you look at Tyson, later in his career,” Jason said. “Tyson don’t get mad — but [Dereck] probably shoots the ball a little bit better than Tyson. We’re excited to have Dereck. The similarity is great, because you’re talking about a champion. Dereck works extremely hard. He’s fulfilled part of his dream, to be drafted. The next part is to be a champion.”
Prosper is from Montreal but spent his final high school year at the NBA’s Academy in Latin America. From there he went to Clemson for a year before transferring to Marquette, where he spent the last two seasons. He started all 36 games for the Golden Eagles last season while averaging 29 minutes, 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and just shy of one steal per game. His athleticism and effort drew rave reviews at the NBA Draft Combine, causing him to shoot up draft boards. Prosper is very much still a raw talent, but the Mavs believe they can tap into something special.
“We’re young and we have developed here and what we’ve heard from these two young men is that they’re not afraid to work and they’re about team,” J-Kidd said. “When you have that mindset, only good things are going to happen. So for our coaching staff, for our owner, for our management, we’re all excited today, and then tomorrow we’ll get to work.”
Lively II and Prosper join Luka Dončić, 2020 first rounder Josh Green and 2021 second rounder Jaden Hardy as Mavs under the age of 25. Green and Hardy both came on strong toward the end of the 2022-23 season. Green averaged 10.7 points per game from February on. Hardy had seven 20-point games in the last month and averaged 13.4 points per game during that span.
“The foundation is being built. We see it here today and we’re all excited,” Coach Kidd said. “When you look at the core of our youth here in Dallas, it’s pretty special. You talk about Luka, these two, Hardy and Josh. That’s a pretty good core. Then you look around the league, and we feel comfortable and confident that we can compete with the athletic teams. To be able to get these two, it’s what Nico’s vision is, and we’re going in the right direction. You watch the layup line, it won’t be just layups anymore.”