GAME 2 Playoffs 2024: Dallas Mavericks (1-0) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (0-1)

[Chicagojk]

a little Noah.. some Chandler...and what happens if he can shoot and have some paint moves. This is completely unfair, but I am sort of getting some Tim Duncan vibes when Duncan had that monster run as a freshman at Wake Forest. Obviously he won't be Duncan but is having a similar arrival with the NBA world watching.

Even better, he has absolutely no ego and looks to be a great teammate. There would be some players who would have bristled coming off the bench. Especially how well he had been playing. Not Lively. Whatever is needed from him.

[KillerLeft]

Bam... with the same mobility, and far greater height and length. 

That's why it's an underestimation. Lively won't be a franchise superstar, but he'll be a perennial good-enough Robin for Luka when Kyrie retires. With the 12th freaking pick.

Bam might be the best defensive center of all time, mobility wise. 100% he wouldn't have let Luka get that three off the other night. Luka might've still scored, but it would have been much more on Miami's terms, and it would've been a tie game at best. 

Bam has a face up game inside the three point line that includes driving with both hands, pull up jumpers and a variety of counters to score in the midrange. He's also the guy Miami runs their offense through, like Draymond Green, Vlade Divac and other guys like that. He's literally the best player on his team by a mile. 

He can't shoot threes (I think Lively will be able to soon), and he's not as long as Lively, that's for sure. Lively is GREAT, and I think he'll be BETTER than Tyson Chandler (already is on offense). He IS improving as a decision maker in the short roll, and he CAN floor the ball in that situation, but...are you saying he's going to be scary in an iso at the elbow? 

I think we're vastly underestimating Adabayo here. There's one reason Miami is always in the mix, despite a less talented roster every year, and it ain't Jimmy Butler. 

No disrespect to Dereck Lively II, especially tonight when we all see plainly just how important he is to this Mavericks team. I wouldn't trade him for Adabayo, but that's because Lively is the prototypical custom-made pick and roll big. Adabayo is a ball in his hands type.

[KillerLeft]

Offensively, the kid has a long ways to go. But he’s 20. No telling whether he’ll turn into an offensive force. Certainly could happen. He has the tools and the right kind of commitment.

Hey man, maybe you're right. I'm not suuuuuuure I feel like you've got the requisite respect for Adabayo's full game in mind, but I can certainly get behind the idea that Lively might end up being more competent on offense than you, me or anyone else expects. He hasn't been phased by anything thrown at him yet.

[The Jom]

Hey man, maybe you're right. I'm not suuuuuuure I feel like you've got the requisite respect for Adabayo's full game in mind, but I can certainly get behind the idea that Lively might end up being more competent on offense than you, me or anyone else expects. He hasn't been phased by anything thrown at him yet.

Probably I don’t. I think he’s very good defensively and pretty good offensively. But I don’t think he’s a center.

Lively looks like the kind of impact player on defense as Mutumbo. Add some offense to that and he’s an all star. Add a 3-point shot and he’s all nba.