Lively playing like a euro big man is a great sign of the potential resurgence of the American big

Sound fundamentals, high IQ – evident in how fast he learns and develops – plus versatility and vision puts Dereck Lively’s potential up there next to the best current European bigs who are dominating the league right now. That’s a great sign for the future of the American big man.

Throughout NBA history, however, the center position has been mostly dominated by talented Americans. With names like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal, the list of US legends controlling the paint is long and impressive.

But the current European dominance on the four and five positions has been clear for years, with Giannis Antetokounmpo from Greece (Milwaukee Bucks) and Nikola Jokic from Serbia (Denver Nuggets) winning the last five out of six NBA MVP awards. Add to that a long list of good European big men, playing big roles on their teams, like Domantas Sabonis, Mo Wagner, Jonas Valanciunas, Kristaps Porzingis, Jusuf Nurkic, Alperen Sengun and Lauri Markkanen.

But with what we’re seeing from Lively over the past year, along with a few other talented young American bigs, that may be about to change.

The resurgence of the American big man may be on the horizon. Next to French sensation Victor Wembayama, who cannot really be put in a box despite his size at 7’4, Lively is one of, if not the most dominant and interesting big man as of now in his draft class. Entering year two, he and Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder), another promising American big, show signs of being potential trailblazers for the comeback of the American big man. Two players, who are part of a small group of up-and-comers, who may have a chance at stealing the show from the Europeans.

During the first Mavericks preseason game, Lively did exactly that. He looked like the star of the team, and granted, no Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving or Klay Thompson gave him space and opportunity to dominate more than usual.

In this game, we saw multiple new things from him. The possession that reverberated around the league and left both fans and media people in awe was a coast-to-coast fastbreak with a spin move for the and-one.

And I was not the only one who saw power forward (and European) Giannis in this possession, as Lively showcased his ability to handle the ball downhill and finish with confidence.

Something people like to point out when talking about why Europeans are seeing success in the NBA is the fact that they all learn the fundamentals. In Europe, big men practice ball handling along with the point guards, and that develops vision as we see in players like Jokic, Sabonis and Wembayama.

And as Lively was bringing the ball up and decided to take it all the way, Giannis-style, he looked mightily like a European raised player.

Afterwards, he showed off a post-move, which he no doubt had been working on with mentor and Maverick legend, Tyson Chandler. Getting the ball in the paint and backing up his defender, he finished over three defenders and made that look easy.

The two of them have been working out over the summer, and Chandler has also been around the team and Lively for most of the previous year, resulting in a great friendship between them.

None of these things were showcased last season, and speak to the lightning fast development this guy is capable of. Last season, we saw him improve in-game, an ability very few players even come close to.

As an extra aspect of this, Lively continues to be a solid defensive anchor for a contending team, holding his own even on the perimeter and against experienced big men. A way to tell who leads the defense is by listening to who is talking. And Lively is always talking in the paint, telling teammates where to be, where he is, calling out plays and where he will help from. This compilation is a good example:

When you talk about being a contender and the fact that winning starts on the defensive end, as the Mavericks and Jason Kidd do, it’s all reliant on whether there’s a defensive leader with vision, who knows how to communicate. Without that, it becomes very hard to play the type of defensive scheme the Mavericks do. This further highlights the importance of Lively on this team.

And Kidd, who often mentions how players need to “talk” on defense, who speaks about winning on the defensive end and is known as a defensive-minded coach, described Lively’s skillset with the words “like no other” after the first preseason game.

“I think Tyson’s (Chandler) has been showing him his point guard skills at Dominguez High…We know he can shoot the three, now he’s shown that can put the ball on the floor and playmake and get to the basket…His skill set is like no other”.

As the league moves toward becoming more focused on high IQ and vision, Dereck Lively’s skillset stands out. Europeans have come far by playing intelligently, but with the new generation of American big men having the chance to play with and learn from some of the smartest players around, like Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the resurgence of the American big man may be just around the corner.

Like vet leader Markieff Morris put it on Media Day:

“The sky is the limit. He’s hungry in his rookie year. Not a lot of people get to go to the mountaintop, and see what it takes to get to the championship, to be a part of a championship team. I’m so excited for his future, because he’s going to be the best center in the league. They say three to five. I say two to three.”

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