The Dallas Mavericks selected Duke center Dereck Lively II and Marquette forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper in the first round of Thursday’s NBA Draft in an effort to add athleticism and defense to a team that faltered down the stretch of last season and missed the playoffs.
The team held an introductory press conference with the rookies and members of the front office for local media on Monday afternoon, where they doubled down on their excitement from Thursday and their vision for the team going forward.
“We’re really excited [about] both these two young men,” General Manager Nico Harrison began. “We’re really excited [about] what they’ll bring to us both on and off the court. I think you have that marriage of amazing personalities as well as basketball players. It’s a win, a win-win, actually.”
Coach Jason Kidd said the Mavs were lucky to have the two available on draft night.
“For these two to come and work out here, we were excited to see what they did…They’re ready to go. They’re ready to work, and so we’re happy to have them as part of the Mavs family,” Kidd added.
Expectations will be high for both players, especially after Vice President of Basketball Operations Michael Finley compared Lively to former Mavericks’ center Tyson Chandler during Thursday’s draft, a comparison with which Kidd agreed on Monday.
“The similarity’s great because you’re talking about a champion,” Kidd said. “Dereck works extremely hard. He’s fulfilled part of his dream, and that’s to be drafted. The next part is to be a champion.”
After last season, the Mavericks seem far from becoming a champion again, even though they just appeared in the Western Conference Finals a year ago.
Dallas has highly talented younger players like Jaden Hardy and Josh Green, not to mention superstar Luka Doncic, who is still just 24, and has added players they believe to be promising prospects to that.
“I think when you look at our core, our youth here in Dallas is pretty special,” Kidd explained. “You talk about Luka, you talk about these two gentlemen sitting here, and Hardy and Josh, that’s a pretty good core. If you look around the league, we feel comfortable and confident that we can compete with the athletic teams in this league.”
“To be able to get these two is what Nico’s vision is, and we’re going in the right direction,” he continued. “…When you watch the layup line, it won’t just be layups anymore.”
While the skillsets the two rookies bring to the team can help return Dallas to where it wants to be, both are concentrating on learning and developing.
“There’s a lot that I want to accomplish in my NBA career, but right now, my goal is to grow, learn as much as I can, especially now with Summer League, and help this team as much as I can in my rookie season,” Prosper told the media. “Obviously, the goal is to win a championship, but there’s steps to that.”
“For me, my goal right now is just to become as ready as I can, prepare as much and get better, and just help this team as much as I can and impact winning.”
Lively may have more eyes on him as the first player the team drafted, but his approach is still similar.
“I’m not just trying to go in and try to play my game,” he added. “I’m trying to go in and try to play the NBA’s game, try to learn as quickly as possible, and develop.”
Many will consider the additions just athletic, defensive players, but Harrison also likes the energy they can bring.
“I think if you boil it down to just athleticism, you miss a big picture and also who they are, both on and off the court.,” the general manager explained. “They’re defensive-minded and athletic but energetic. I think they’re more than just athleticism.”
Prosper is no stranger to bringing energy to his team, as it was a staple of Marquette coach Shaka Smart’s program.
“I’m big on energy,” the forward told the media. “At Marquette, we had these things called EGBs — ‘energy generating behaviors.’…Anything to bring energy to the team, and that’s what I want to bring. Energy is contagious, and as a guy like me, anything I can do to help my teammates be at their best, I’m willing to do that. That’s just the way I play this game.”
Energy, athleticism, and defense will get the rookies on the court early, but it is their future contributions and development that have the Mavericks so excited.
“We’re young, and we have developed here,” Kidd remarked. “What you’ve heard from these two young men is that they’re not afraid to work, and they’re about [the] team. [If] You have that mindset, only good things are going to happen…We’re all excited today, and tomorrow we get to work.”
“The foundation is being built,” he added. “You see it here, and we’re all excited.”