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OVR

Dereck Lively II

Dallas Mavericks · #2 · Plus starter
C7'1"230 lbage 223 yrs expDukePhiladelphia, PA
4th best of 12 on DALworth +2.1 wins to the rotation
OFF79DEF83
Elite interior finisher & rim protector
DAL
Dallas Mavericks
Western · Southwest · proj. 40-42 (▲+3.4)
→

A springy, switchable young center and elite lob threat who anchors the paint and runs the floor hard. Injuries wiped out his 2025-26 season, so there's no current sample to grade — but the tools are obvious: rim-running finishing, real rim protection and the mobility to defend in space. On his rookie deal he's one of the more promising young bigs in the league.

8.7
PPG
7.5
RPG
2.4
APG
0.6
SPG
1.6
BPG
GP 36MPG 23.1FG% 70.23P% —FT% 63TS% 70.4USG% 13.6PER 20.1BPM +3.3VORP 1.1EPM +1.4
2024-25 regular season · bars are percentile at his position

NBA player ratings

0–99 · 2024-25 form
Inside finishing95
Rim protection91
Playmaking88
Perimeter defense82
Scoring81
Rebounding77
Shooting62

Skill ratings are 2024-25 per-game and advanced stats (Basketball-Reference) ranked 0–99 within position (guards vs guards, bigs vs bigs). Overall is anchored to EPM impact on a non-linear curve, nudged by these skills; Offense and Defense come from box plus-minus. A player who missed the latest season is shown from his most recent one.

Career

2023-24 to 2025-26 · 3 seasons
8.4
PPG
7.0
RPG
1.6
APG
98
GAMES
Points 827Win Shares 8.7Starts 75Best season 2023-24 · 8.8 ppg
Games played, last three seasons40%

Regular season, 2003-04 onward (Basketball-Reference). Averages are weighted by games played; honours count awards won, not finishes. “Current players” means the 802 who played in the last three seasons.

Trajectory

2023-24 → 2025-26 · age 19 → 21
▬Steady

Dereck, at 21, was as productive as ever when he played, but managed only 7 games last season, so his value to a team dipped (2.7 → 1.4 wins).

2026-27 forecast▲ 5.8 wins (+4.4)
Assumes a normal season; he played 7 games last year. Age should add a little at 22. Range 4.2–7.3 wins.
Production (BPM)+0.5 → +0.6+0.126-27 forecast +2.3
Only 115 minutes last season, too few to call a trend.
2023-24: +0.5 · 55 games2024-25: +3.3 · 36 games2025-26: +0.6 · 7 games2026-27: +2.3 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Value to team (wins)2.7 → 1.4-1.326-27 forecast 5.8
Down because he played 7 games last season, not because his game slipped.
2023-24: 2.7 · 55 games2024-25: 3.2 · 36 games2025-26: 1.4 · 7 games2026-27: 5.8 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Contract value2026-27: worth $24.2M vs $7.2M salary+$16.9M
His play is projected to be worth more than he is paid.
$7.2M salary2023-24: $5.9M · 55 games2024-25: $7.4M · 36 games2025-26: $3.4M · 7 games2026-27: $24.2M (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Current deal: $7,239,131 cap hit · through '27. On the contract row the flat dashed line is this salary, so the gap to the 2026-27 forecast is the surplus.

Seasons from Basketball-Reference (2023-24 → 2025-26). Production is box plus-minus, a per-possession measure. Value is VORP-based wins, so it also counts games played. Contract value is what each season’s play would fetch on the open market. The dotted 2026-27 point is a forecast: his established level, a year older, assuming a normal season.

Contract

2026-27
$7,239,131Team option
4% of the club’s payroll · 11th of 14 priced deals
Runs through1 season
Est. market value$24,176,000 /yr
Surplus+$16,936,869
BARGAINworth more than he is paid

Market value is an estimate, not a reported figure: what his play is forecast to fetch on the open market in 2026-27 — his current rating, a year older. Cap thresholds are projected for 2026-27 until the league sets them.

Plays like

same position

Nearest skill profiles across the seven rating axes — who he plays like, not who is as good. The rating beside each name answers that second question.