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Dallas Mavericks Rising Star Wants to ‘Own the Paint’.

The second-year player from Duke talked about his expectations for his game moving forward

I’m just trying to be more dominant when it comes to the paint,” Lively said. “Strength’s definitely No. 1; working on my handle. You know, everyone wants to see me shoot, but I wanna own the paint before I can shoot threes.”

Dereck Lively has shown progression with his shooting, hitting a three-pointer in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Celtics, and raising his free-throw percentage to 62.5% over the final three rounds of the playoffs after shooting 50.9% in the regular season. He knows that his career will be defined by paint protection though, as players like Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama are set to be in the same conference for years to come.

Lively should be in line for a starting role this year but will still split minutes with Daniel Gafford, who the Mavs acquired at last season’s trade deadline. Gafford was an integral piece in turning the Mavericks into a defensive monster at the end of the regular season, but Lively had the team’s best offensive and defensive rating in the playoffs. The two will continue to be a perfect rotation for Doncic and Irving to throw lobs either way.