Tag: Dereck Lively II

Four former Duke Blue Devils named to ESPN’s top 25 NBA players under 25

ESPN released its list of the 25 best NBA players under the age of 25 on Monday, and four former Duke basketball stars made the cut.

No men’s college basketball program has accumulated more top talent over the last five years than the Duke Blue Devils, so understandably, the NBA is full of young talents who played their college ball at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

ESPN released its ranking of the top 25 NBA players under the age of 25 on Monday, and a quartet of former Blue Devils made the list thanks to their strong first few seasons.

[autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag], the most recent Blue Devil chosen with the No. 1 overall pick, contended for the top overall spot on the list. He’s missed the past month with a torn right oblique, but he put together his first career 50-point night against the Indiana Pacers on October 28. He finished that 119-115 victory with 13 rebounds and nine assists, one of the best games by any player so far this season.

Here’s a breakdown of every former Blue Devil who made the top 25:

Paolo Banchero, No. 3

Banchero led the Orlando Magic to the playoffs last year, his second season in the NBA. He averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists, a noticeable leap from his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2022-23 (20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists). He looked like a potential All-NBA candidate through five games to start this season, pushing his scoring average to 29.0 thanks to his first 50-piece, and Magic fans eagerly await his return to the court.

Zion Williamson, No. 16

Williamson has been a dominant player on the court ever since his days in Durham, and he’s averaged 24.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game across his NBA career. However, he’s only played 190 games over his six-year career, well below half of his potential appearances.

“The concern is whether injuries are taking a toll on the athleticism that makes Williamson a special player,” ESPN’s Kevin Pelton wrote in his ranking snippet.

Jalen Johnson, No. 17

Johnson didn’t bloom as fast as Williamson and Banchero in the NBA, only starting six games over his first two seasons, but he burst onto the scene with 16.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 2023-24. Now a fourth-year player rewarded with an offseason extension, he’s somehow improved on all four of those numbers through 21 games this year.

Dereck Lively II, No. 19

The darling of the Dallas Mavericks run to the NBA Finals, Lively averaged 7.9 points and 7.4 rebounds with four double-doubles in just 22.0 minutes per game during his rookie postseason. The 7-footer is working his way into the starting lineup at just 20 years old, and so far in year two, he’s averaged 8.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks per contest.

Watch the moment Jayson Tatum found out he’d be on the cover of NBA 2K25

Netflix released the “Starting 5” documentary on Wednesday, including the moment Jayson Tatum discovered he’d be on the cover of NBA 2K25.

Former Duke basketball star [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] will be on the cover of NBA 2K25, and Netflix captured the moment he heard the news.

In a new documentary “Starting 5”, which premiered this week, Tatum’s son, Deuce, walked up to him with a birthday present. The Boston Celtics star opened it up to find a piece of paper revealing that he’d be on the cover, prompting Tatum to drop his head into his hand.

“To share that moment with my mini-me and my best friend, that is a special moment I had with Deuce,” Tatum said in the narration.

Tatum won his first NBA championship with the Celtics this year, defeating fellow Blue Devils [autotag]Kyrie Irving[/autotag] and [autotag]Dereck Lively II[/autotag] in the Finals. Tatum led Boston in points, rebounds, and assists throughout the playoffs, joining a historic list of players to accomplish that feat, before heading to Paris to win his second consecutive Olympic gold medal.

Jayson Tatum predicts NBA Finals rematch with Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II

During a Wednesday appearance on The Tonight Show, Jayson Tatum predicted an NBA Finals rematch against two fellow Blue Devils next season.

The NBA Finals earlier this summer featured a trio of Blue Devils as former Duke basketball star [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] won his first championship with the Boston Celtics. According to Tatum, fans shouldn’t be surprised if there’s more of the same next summer.

During a Wednesday night appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Tatum predicted that his Celtics would face the Dallas Mavericks again in the 2025 NBA Finals.

“It’s going to be a rematch,” Tatum told Fallon. “We’re going to play Dallas again.”

The Mavericks, whom Boston beat in five games during the championship series, featured former Blue Devils [autotag]Kyrie Irving[/autotag] and [autotag]Dereck Lively II[/autotag]. Irving, who won a ring with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, averaged 22.1 points and 5.1 assists per game in the postseason while Lively put up 7.9 points and 7.4 rebounds as a rookie.

Tatum led the Celtics with 25.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game through the postseason en route to the title.

https://twitter.com/FallonTonight/status/1834085573050446266

The Mavericks reached the Finals as the fifth seed in the Western Conference last season, so this prediction likely banks on either Irving and superstar guard Luka Doncic taking a step forward as a duo with a full offseason under their belts or Lively emerging as an All-Star caliber big in year two. However, Dallas did beat the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder and third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves to reach the championship series, so they proved their postseason mettle.

Duke basketball reportedly visits five-star 2025 forward Nate Ament

According to a Wednesday report from League Ready, the Blue Devils and seven other schools visited 2025 five-star Nate Ament.

The Duke basketball program tends to win over elite recruits, but head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] might have his hands full trying to land a commitment from five-star 2025 forward Nate Ament.

According to a report from League Ready’s Sam Kayser, the Blue Devils visited the Virginia native at school on Wednesday. However, so did seven other teams, including Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Virginia, Kansas State, Notre Dame, and Georgetown.

One of the consensus 10 best players in his class, Ament currently sits seventh on 247Sports’ 2025 rankings. The Highland School product has been on the Blue Devils’ radar for quite a while, and he took an unofficial visit with the program back in September.

Duke may have gotten a bonus last month when Ament attended the Nike Academy, where former Blue Devil [autotag]Dereck Lively II[/autotag] worked out with some of the country’s best players. However, with no timetable or finalists announced, who knows how long Scheyer will need to wait before finding out if Ament will play at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

https://twitter.com/247HSHoops/status/1831502969998602573

The Ament news came the same day as a separate report that Duke traveled to Riviera Preparatory School in Miami for some in-person scouting. The Blue Devils also hosted Cameron and Cayden Boozer, the twin sons of Duke legend Carlos Boozer and two top 2025 prospects, for a visit this weekend.

Rudy Gobert criticism from Dereck Lively II is fair but with a caveat: He must look in the mirror, too.

Dereck Lively II has a lot of time to address these problems in his game, too.

Dallas Mavericks big man Dereck Lively II recently turned some heads due to comments he made about Minnesota Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert.

During a recent conversation with G League guard Theo Pinson, the Dallas center shared an observation that has he had about his Western Conference frontcourt rival.

Lively explained that the players who make the most money earn the most playing time. Pinson asserted that Gobert was essentially unplayable during the postseason and whether or not that was true, Lively emphatically agreed.

Pinson added that Gobert needed to sort out those problems, and Lively said that the three-time NBA All-Star was unable to do that. It was an interesting conversation:

Some people have correctly pointed out that Lively has already faced similar issues during his young professional career. That should not disqualify him from making these arguments about Gobert, though.

Indeed, these two players come from a very similar archetype as defensive anchors with offensive limitations. Both are phenomenal rim protectors and neither has proven able to spread the floor as shooters.

Certain fans may feel that if Lively has those same problems, how is it fair for him to point fingers at Gobert? But the reality is that it actually makes the former Duke standout uniquely qualified to speak on the matter.

Gobert is a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year who is far more accomplished than the 20-year-old big man. But the 2023 NBA Draft lottery pick, who earned All-Rookie Second-Team honors last season, has a chance to achieve marvelous things on the basketball court.

It is certainly possible that Lively could eventually surpass the impact Gobert has had in his professional career. However, he will need to figure out a few of the same things that the Minnesota big man has struggled with in order to reach that mountain top.

Otherwise, he could end up as a solid regular-season player incapable of matching that positive contribution in the playoffs. Fortunately, however, he has plenty of time to sort it out during what projects as a very long stay in the NBA.

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Former Duke basketball star Dereck Lively II breaks into NBA 2K Top 100 after rookie year

After his rookie season included a trip to the NBA Finals, former Duke basketball star Dereck Lively II made the top 100 players in NBA 2K25.

NBA 2K began slowly releasing its top 100 players in the upcoming edition of the popular video game, NBA 2K25, on Monday.

While top Duke names like [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] and [autotag]Zion Williamson[/autotag] need to wait to find out where they fit in the NBA hierarchy, one former Blue Devil got some great news in the first round of the release.

Dereck Lively II, the center who just finished his rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks, came in as the 98th-best player in the game with an 81 overall rating.

Lively went to the NBA Finals in his debut season, putting up four double-doubles over the course of Dallas’s playoff run. He earned national praise for his performance in the second round, getting a shoutout from the dictionary as the Mavericks unseated the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.

The seven-footer averaged 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game as a rookie, making the starting lineup 42 times in the regular season.

RJ Barrett, another former Blue Devil who just reached the Olympic quarterfinals with the Canadian national team, also earned an 81 overall rating, finishing 86th on the ranking.

Former Duke basketball star Jayson Tatum wins his first NBA title as Celtics defeat Dallas 4-1

Boston closes out the Dallas Mavericks for 18th NBA Title, giving former Duke star Jayson Tatum his first ring.

On Monday evening, a new NBA champion was crowned.

It’s from a familiar franchise, too. The Boston Celtics, led by former Duke star [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag], won their 18th NBA title after dismantling [autotag]Kyrie Irving[/autotag], Luka Doncic, [autotag]Dereck Lively II[/autotag], and the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 to wrap up a 4-1 series victory in front of a packed TD Garden crowd in Boston.

The Celtics entered the night with a massive chip on their shoulder after getting wrecked by the Mavericks down in Dallas for Game 4. The Mavericks blasted the Celtics by 40 points on Friday night to keep the series alive, and the Celtics came out ready to play and end the series. The Celtics closed the first quarter of Game 5 on a 9-0 run and never looked back.

For Tatum, years of failures and media slander now become noise. He’s cemented himself in basketball history as one of the stars of a championship-winning team for one of the sport’s most prestigious franchises.

Tatum joins a small list of seven other former Duke players to win an NBA title. Jack White was the most recent in 2023 as a member of the Denver Nuggets.

The former No. 3 pick out of Duke is now an NBA champion, a four-time All-NBA selection, and a five-time All-Star. On top of his championship, he is now set for a record-setting contract extension to make him the league’s highest-paid player. And for a few weeks, he’ll rest and then prepare himself to get ready to play in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris with Team USA.

The best photos of Jayson Tatum and Duke basketball players from Game 4 of the NBA Finals

Check out the best photos of Jayson Tatum, Dereck Lively II, and Kyrie Irving from Friday’s fourth game of the NBA Finals.

The Dallas Mavericks finally struck back in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night, defeating the Boston Celtics for the first time in the best-of-seven series with a 122-84 win.

Former Duke basketball stars [autotag]Kyrie Irving[/autotag] and [autotag]Dereck Lively II[/autotag] helped lead the Mavericks to victory. Irving scored 21 points, the second-most of any player in the game, after he made 10 of his 18 attempts from the floor. He tacked on six assists.

Lively, just one game after his first career NBA Finals double-double, put together his second with 11 points and 12 rebounds. The 7-footer made four of his five shots in part of an exceptionally efficient postseason, and the rookie is shooting 67% from the floor through 19 games.

[autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag], the Boston Celtics star who made the All-NBA First Team for the third straight time this season, only managed 15 points during the disappointing game. Two days after he finally broke the 30-point barrier in the championship series, Tatum connected on only four of his 10 attempts.

Here are the best photos of the three former Blue Devils from Friday night.

The best photos of Jayson Tatum and Duke basketball players from Game 3 of the NBA Finals

Check out the best photos of Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, and Dereck Lively II from Game 3 of the NBA Finals here.

Duke basketball shined on the professional stage on Wednesday night.

The Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-99 to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series partially thanks to 31 points from star [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag], his career-high in a Finals game. The win moves Tatum, a 26-year-old with three All-NBA First Teams on his resume, within one win of his first championship.

Just because Boston won doesn’t mean the Celtics stole all the Duke glory, however. [autotag]Kyrie Irving[/autotag] led the Mavericks with 35 points and made four of his six 3-point attempts. [autotag]Dereck Lively II[/autotag], the rookie 7-footer, became the youngest player in league history with 10 rebounds in a Finals game after he finished with 11 points and 13 boards, his third double-double of his inaugural postseason.

Check out the best photos of the three former Blue Devil stars from Wednesday night’s game in Dallas, from a few explosive Lively dunks to a litany of Irving and Tatum points.

Dereck Lively II puts up first NBA Finals double-double of his career

Dereck Lively II, still just a rookie, put together 11 points and 13 rebounds (including some epic dunks) in 30 minutes off the bench on Wednesday.

For the first time in his career, [autotag]Dereck Lively II[/autotag] put together a double-double in the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.

The former Blue Devil played 30 minutes off the bench and made five of his six shot attempts to finish with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Both totals are his highest in each category so far in the three-game series, although he’s averaging 8.3 rebounds per game across just 22.3 minutes on the court.

The rookie 7-footer, in his first career postseason, also put up two double-doubles against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second round of the playoffs, including a staggering 15 rebounds in the clinching Game 6 victory. He also pulled down 11 rebounds against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first game of the Western Conference finals, although he only scored nine points.

So far, through his first 18 postseason games, Lively is averaging 7.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting 65.9% from the field. He’s also blocking more than one shot per night.

Despite Lively’s performance, the Mavericks lost 106-99 to fall down 3-0 in the series. They now must win four straight games to bring home the championship.