Editor’s note: This story was originally published prior to the NBA Draft and has been updated.
Dereck Lively II was the top recruit in the nation coming out of high school in 2022. A year later, he will hear his name called in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Basketball is dominated by big men like NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic and NBA MVP Joel Embiid. Teams around the league need someone who can protect the paint. But how exactly does a team find someone who is capable of actually guarding someone like Jokic, Embiid or Anthony Davis?
The 19-year-old one-and-done prospect can answer those questions as an instantly impactful defensive-oriented big man. He is listed at 7-foot-1 and with a reported 7-foot-9 wingspan, which makes him the largest prospect in this class aside from Victor Wembanyama.
“I’m always somebody that you’re going to hear on the floor, no matter if that’s on offense or defense,” Lively told For The Win.
“I still have to be the kind of radio tower. Everybody sees me. Everybody can hear me. But I can see everything. I have to be able to navigate everybody on the court.”
The former McDonald’s All-American big man was named ACC All-Defensive and ACC-All Freshman after his one-and-done campaign for Duke. Now, he is a projected top-20 pick in our latest consensus mock draft.
Here are four important things you need to know about Lively.
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