https://247sports.com/Article/Dereck...ate-166541091/
Am I the only one on DBR who doesn’t feel bad that UNC and Hubert Davis missed on young Mr. Lively?
https://247sports.com/Article/Dereck...ate-166541091/
Am I the only one on DBR who doesn’t feel bad that UNC and Hubert Davis missed on young Mr. Lively?
What's really amazing is not that he scored 22 points and pulled down 18 rebounds in that 1998 ACC Tournament final against Duke, but that he did it while disabled with a pulled groin muscle and -- according to UNC lore -- two broken legs. Another one of those miraculous recoveries wrought by Dean's Magic Healing Dust.
Where are people getting the idea that Lively is a good outside shooter and likely to be an effective scorer as a freshman? According to Team Final and its numbers, this past year on the AAU circuit Dereck scored 8.4 ppg. He took 40 3-point shots in 15 games, but only made 11 of them, which is 27%. He also shot only 50% from the line. So while he sure sounds like a terrific defensive player/rim protector and great run and jump athlete, we should probably pump the brakes on the idea that Lively is going to do much right away offensively other than catch lobs and clean up misses off the board as he starts to develop a more advanced offensive game. But the idea that he is anywhere close to Marvin Bagley, who was a highly, highly skilled and effective offensive player from the minute he stepped on campus, is, frankly, absurd.
The reports I've seen say that he is very raw offensively, not a creator but more of a lob/rim-rimming threat, and that he does have good form on his jumper which suggests he could develop into a good shooter. He's ranked #2 in the class, which I understand is considered a weak class overall and on top of that the top two players reclassified to 2021. But I still find it hard to believe he would be ranked that high based solely on his defense.
I've read back through this thread, and almost everyone is saying Lively has one thing in common with Bagley, his second jump ability. I think that's a fair comparison of one particular skills/attribute.
As for his shooting, I also don't see much to suggest we'll see Lively take many 3's per game. He could and probably will take a few. He has good form. The thing about his AAU Team, Team Final, is that it featured Jalen Duren and on occasion Emoni Bates. Having those two on the roster surely suppressed his output. There's a reason a lot of people think Lively has such immense potential. It's mostly his defensive skillset and mindset. But it's also that he has some raw abilities that could further develop. I don't think he'll be a guy that leads the team in scoring most nights, but he'll get a few buckets just by virtue of his length and quickness around the rim.
Hmm🤔, Lively is the #2 recruit in the nation yet is a poor outside-shooter and is well below average from the FT line??
Is he one of the greatest defenders in the history of high school basketball or something? The second coming of Bill Russell?
I’m not knocking the kid at all, not in the slightest. I’m just wondering about the ranking system.
How would he compare to Shelden Williams, who also was a rim protector but very raw offensively?
"This is the best of all possible worlds."
Dr. Pangloss - Candide
"You can't teach 7-1"....I have a lot more of these! Can't teach a 7-8 wingspan either.
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
Shelden used muscle and brute force to overwhelm people, and also had excellent shotblocking instincts, but he was essentially a below the rim player. Which is one reason why he didn't make it in the NBA. Lively is more slender but definitely a bouncy, athletic kid who also appears to have really good shotblocking skills but will need some time to develop his offensive game. Which we're all hopeful he does. Very different body type than Shelden.
How about Nerlens Noel as a comp for Lively? Similar ranking and defense first skills. I think Noel was a bit shorter. Even with an injury-shortened season, he made NCAA all freshman team and I think SEC freshman of the year so if Lively achieves similarly, that would be a good season.
Noel seems like a reasonable comp. Not Oden. Oden was a mountain of a man even in high school. I think at Ohio State he played at like 270-280 pounds. He was all power and brute force. His body mass proved to be too much for his feet to handle, which really limited his career as a professional. His body and his game is nothing like Lively’s in my opinion. And let’s hope his feet aren’t either.
A quote on "The Brotherhood" in a Sporting News article about this recruiting win. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nca...cid=entnewsntp
Ties into our discussions on the meaning and significance of "The Brotherhood" it in another thread...and what it means.
"We've discussed that at 247, and I've been on board with saying Duke is Duke," analyst Brandon Jenkins told Sporting News. "The foundation of Duke is ‘The Brotherhood,' and I think it's so strong they have the chance to get the best high school players."
"The Brotherhood is not just about being able to get players to the league and to get them to be able to get them to that second contract. It's also the professionalism with how a Duke player carries himself. That attracts not only the prospects, but also the families of prospects." (emphasis added)