Yesterday the Dallas Mavericks signed 12th overall draft pick Derek Lively.
Lively was acquired from Oklahoma City in exchange for the draft rights to tenth pick Casson Wallace and forward Davis Bertans.
Lively (7-1, 234) was an early draft candidate for this year’s draft after spending one season at Duke. In his only season with the Blue Devils, he averaged 5.2 points (. 658 FG%), 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game across 34 games. Lively was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team and the ACC All-Defensive Team.
“We really like Derrick’s combination of size, shot-blocking ability, and defensive versatility,” said general manager Nico Harrison. “As one of the youngest players in the draft, we look forward to Derrick growing with the team and furthering his development.”
In his only year at Duke, Lively blocked 82 shots—just five shy of the NCAA lead. With the Wings 7-4, he led all Division I freshmen in blocks and ranked second in the ACC (eighth nationally).
The Philadelphia native was ranked as the No. 1 player overall in the ESPN 100 for the Class of 2022 as a five-star center out of Westtown School in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He was named Penn Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022 after leading Westtown to a 31-7 record and the Penn State Independent Schools Athletic Championship in 2022.
Lively will be wearing No. 2 for a post.