Analyzing Dereck Lively II’s Evolved Offensive Bag And Why Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Underrated

When the Dallas Mavericks traded for Dereck Lively II on draft night last year, they thought they’d be getting a development player. At 7ft 1′, the Duke alum was a five-star recruit, and his growth for the Mavericks has been sensational. His offensive improvement was evident in their preseason clash with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Lively had a decent start in the league. He averaged 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 55 games in his rookie season. He made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team and got to experience the NBA Finals. He was being looked at as one of the best upcoming talents in the league and if the preseason game is any indication towards the future, Lively seems to be in the right form.

Coming off the bench, he scored 12 points with three rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes. But it was the style of his play and the development of his offensive bag that impressed everyone. He looked sharp, showcased incredible footwork, and also showed improvement in ball handling. Lively had back-to-back dunks in the second half of the game, but that’s something that’s expected from a young 7ft 1′ center.

The most impressive play of the game happened in the final minutes of the first quarter when the Mavs were trailing by three points. The 20-year-old received the ball well before the half-court and dribbled his way into the paint. His finishing elicited cheers from the crowd. Lively executed a near-perfect spin move, finishing it with a right-hand hook shot off the backboard and drew a foul in the process.

The internet immediately went into a frenzy, admiring the development of the second-year center. Clips from earlier this year resurfaced, and comparisons started being made with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

This isn’t the first time Lively has been compared to Giannis. During the last season, his full-court drives to the basket and exaggerated but effective euro steps now and then earned him comparison to the 2x MVP. Unfortunately, this is the extent of praise that Giannis gets on the internet, which is mostly flooded by casual fans who love to call him out as a player with “no bag.”

Giannis deserves more respect for being one of the most skilled big men in NBA history

Giannis is an all-around great player and anyone doubting or belittling his talent does a great disservice to the game. He’s one of the best all-time players at the rim, be it in the form of a protector or a finisher. Giannis is 6ft 11′ with a 7ft 3′ wingspan and a 40-inch vertical jump. The Greek Freak uses his size to his advantage in the best possible way.

His ability to cover the length of an entire NBA court on a fast break in two to three dribbles at times speaks to his effectiveness on the floor. Giannis can dictate the outcome of games with his presence in the paint. In the 2023-24 season, he shot 77.9% from the restricted area. He led the league among the players who had at least 350 attempts.

More importantly, almost 70% of his total shots come from the same zone. Giannis not only uses his body to his advantage, but he also makes it a dominant part of his game. That’s what separates him from the rest of the league. On the defensive end, he writes the same story.

Giannis is arguably one of the best rim defenders in the league. Last season, he held the opposition players to 47.4% shooting when challenged near the bucket.

He led the league in scoring near the rim in the 2022-23 season. He did the same during the 2019-20 season too.

The narrative around Giannis started picking up pace in 2020, when James Harden indirectly claimed his style of play “takes no skill at all”. Critics online took this statement and ran with it, even though Harden never mentioned the Greek by name.

His response to the critics has not been vocal. Instead, after the criticism, Giannis secured his 2nd MVP in 2020 and followed it up with a sensational Finals win in 2021. He also secured a Finals MVP in the process.

No matter what haters online claim, it takes a tremendous amount of talent and skill to be as good as Giannis is.