Tag: Dereck Lively II

2023 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Projections for every pick post-March Madness

Rookie Wire took a look at where the next draft class stands following the NCAA Tournament.

The NBA pre-draft process is in full swing as prospects around the world prepare to transition to the next level.

Teams around the league will begin hosting private workouts in the coming weeks as they finalize their draft boards. There will be various pro days on the radar and, of course, the draft combine and G League Elite Camp next month in Chicago, Illinois.

Underclassmen have until April 23 to declare for the draft. Several notable players have already decided to return to school, including Kyle Filipowski, Harrison Ingram, Baylor Scheierman and Kel’el Ware. Others are still mulling over their decisions.

Related: Key dates for NBA draft, combine, lottery and deadlines

With players still in the process of making decisions, some prospects were excluded from this mock draft because they are projected to return to school next season. However, most players projected to be drafted have already announced their decisions.

Rookie Wire took a look at where the draft stands following the NCAA Tournament. It is important to note that team needs were not necessarily taken into account with each pick. The projections are rather a look at where each individual player stands at this point of the process.

Note: The order of the draft was pulled from Tankathon as of April 14. The draft will have only 58 picks this year because the Bulls and 76ers were stripped of their second-round picks by the NBA due to tampering violations.

ACC All-Freshman Dereck Lively II announces NBA draft decision

Lively finished with the second-most blocked shots in a season by a freshman in program history.

Duke freshman center Dereck Lively II announced Tuesday on social media that he will forgo his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2023 NBA draft.

Lively was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team after averaging 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.1 assists on 65.8% shooting from the field in 34 games. His 82 blocked shots were the second-most in a season by a freshman in program history.

He was also named to the ACC All-Freshman Team.

The 7-footer emerged as an excellent rim protector and overall defender. He was eighth in the country in blocks and swatted at least one shot in 32 games. He had six blocks in their first-round win over Oral Roberts, a program record by a freshman in the NCAA Tournament.

He reflected a bit on his season during his draft announcement.

“I would like to first off thank my mother, coaches, family, teammates and everyone along the way,” Lively said. “I love everybody who has been a part of this journey. I should also thank the brotherhood. Overall, I just love Duke and everyone here. This has just been an amazing experience for me. I will be entering my name in the 2023 NBA draft.”

Lively is widely considered to be the top shot-blocker in the draft this year. He has improved his draft stock after a slow start to the year and is considered by many to be a mid-to-late first-round pick given his run down the stretch.

Underclassmen have until April 23 to declare for the draft.

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Dereck Lively II set the Duke freshman block record in the NCAA Tournament

Lively scored only four points, but the freshman had a record-setting performance on defense in his NCAA Tournament debut.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Dereck Lively II scored only four points, but the talented freshman produced a record-setting performance on Thursday to help the fifth-seeded Duke Blue Devils knock off No. 12 Oral Roberts in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Lively hauled in 12 rebounds and blocked six shots, including four in the first half, as Duke posted a dominating 74-51 victory. His six blocked shots are the most by a Duke freshman in the tournament, surpassing the previous mark of four (Josh McRoberts, Jayson Tatum). He also became the third player from the ACC to record at least 10 rebounds and six blocks in a tournament debut.

The Blue Devils raced to a 15-0 lead to start the game, thanks in large part to their stout defensive effort. The Golden Eagles missed their first 12 shots and were blocked twice by Lively during that stretch. They finally got on the board with a layup after eight minutes.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer was pleased with their defensive effort.

We were able to switch a lot. We have a very versatile defensive group. (Dereck) having six blocks, which I think is a freshman record in the tournament at Duke. Besides the six blocks, he alters so much. We were able to guard multiple positions, and not let up. To hold that team to 51 points is a big deal.

Lively and the Blue Devils held the Golden Eagles to a season-low 23 points in the first half. They swarmed Oral Roberts at every opportunity on defense and forced players into difficult shots at the rim with Lively roaming the paint.

The effort by Lively continued a strong second-half campaign.

The 7-foot-1 center was named to the ACC All-Defensive team and the ACC All-Freshman team after averaging 5.4 points, five rebounds and 2.3 blocks on 65.8% shooting from the field. He blocked the third-most shots by a Duke freshman (74) and ranked 12th in the country. He also had the eighth-most games with multiple blocks (22) and has reached that mark in 10 straight games.

He missed time to begin the year, but Scheyer loves his recent run.

The second half of the season, Dereck has been on an absolute tear. His rebounding, blocking shots; he has been scoring in double digits, too. He is the ultimate team player. … I don’t even think the six blocks get enough credit because there were a few more where they were either looking or passing out just because of his presence around the basket.

Defending at a high level is something Lively takes great pride in.

I just accepted it as my role being able to protect the house. Backing up my teammates is just something I’ve accepted and just something I’ve tried to excel at. Being able to have them know they can trust me to have their backs at any moment is something I’ve just accepted throughout this point.

Lively is widely considered to be the top shot-blocker in the NBA draft this year. He has improved his draft stock after a slow start to the year and is  considered by many to be a mid-first-round pick given his recent run.

He certainly didn’t hurt his stock any on Thursday.

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All-ACC Preseason Ballot: North Carolina, Armando Bacot remain the favorites

Take a look at the ballot I submitted before the ACC releases preseason accolades.

The men’s college basketball season is about to get underway with games starting in just under three weeks. We already have the first AP poll of the season, led by last year’s runner-up North Carolina (despite Gonzaga having the best odds, according to a couple of sportsbooks).

As the action gets closer, each conference is releasing its preseason predicted order of finish and players of the year as voted on by the media. The Atlantic Coast Conference, home to the aforementioned UNC squad, is announcing the predicted order of finish, All- ACC Preseason First Team, ACC Preseason Player of the Year and ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year awards today (October 16) at 5:30 p.m.

I attended the ACC Tip-Off in Charlotte, N.C., last week, so for transparency’s sake, here is my ballot as it was submitted (plus my reasoning).

Let’s get to it.

Top shots from the McDonald’s All American Basketball Games

Dereck Lively II and others put on an incredible show at Wintrust Arena.

The top high school basketball players in the country took to the hardwood in Chicago for the 2022 McDonald’s All American Games, and as expected, with such talented rosters—in all the lineups—the highlights hit all night long.

When the final buzzer sounded, the East topped the West in both matchups—95-75 for the girls; 102-75 for boys—with Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez earning Co-MVP’s of the girls game while Dariq Whitehead received the honor in the boys game.

It was high-flying and fun, and nice to see the game back after a two-year hiatus.

Here are some of the top shots captured from all the action at Wintrust Arena.

Related: See the latest USA TODAY Sports Super 25 high school basketball rankings

Duke lands third top 10 player with commitment from Dereck Lively

Lively, the No. 2 overall recruit, chose Duke over other programs like Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan and Penn State among others.

Five-star prospect Dereck Lively II on Monday announced that he has committed to play at Duke University, becoming the third player ranked inside of the top 10 from the class of 2022 to join the program.

Lively, the No. 2 overall recruit, chose the Blue Devils over other collegiate programs like Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan and Penn State among others. He was the first player to be offered a scholarship by coach-in-waiting Jon Scheyer.

The 7-foot-1 center averaged 8.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots in 15 games on the Nike EYBL circuit. He is regarded as one of the top defensive players in the class with an evolving offensive game. He made 11 3-pointers over the summer in the EYBL.

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The addition of Lively projects to give Duke the lead in recruiting for 2022. He will join Dariq Whitehead and Kyle Filipowski next year with the Blue Devils as players ranked inside the top 10 by most recruiting services. They were previously ranked third by 247Sports.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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