DALLAS — When Dereck Lively II was first drafted, he did not expect to achieve the results he’s provided the Dallas Mavericks. Many felt he’d take time to develop, potentially requiring some time in the G League. He became an indispensable contributor before the regular season even began.
Lively averaged 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 55 games, shooting 74.7% from the floor. His production for a 50-win team earned him a spot on the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team. He’s continued to provide a substantial impact in the postseason, averaging 8.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists despite coming off the bench with a historic +87 plus-minus, trailing only Manu Ginobili (+191) among rookies during a postseason run.
“Coming into my first season, I never imagined my season would be like this,” Lively said. “I never imagined the position I’d be in or to have this much success. So I’m grateful. And I’m just trying to focus on what we have going forward.”
May 18, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) shoots as Oklahoma / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The impact Lively provides the Mavericks has completely changed the franchise. He’s been an explosive lob threat and overall highly efficient play finisher. He’s a smart decision-maker in short roll situations along with showing continually improving ability to handle scoring in those situations. He’s a very talkative leader as a defensive anchor who does the dirty work with a lot of energy in the paint, crashing both the boarsd at a high level on offense and defense. He’s everything the organization could have asked for in recent years to pair with Luka Doncic and now Kyrie Irving.
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Lively was grateful to earn his regular season honor, but as he’s continued to show in the postseason, his impact this season has been among the very best among his rookie peers. He is focused on helping the Mavericks contend for a championship over individual accolades or statistics.
“They (voters) are going to look in the regular season of who’s making the most noise, who had the most eyes on them,” Lively said. “But no matter if I have 10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 blocks or zero points, zero rebounds, zero blocks, zero assists, I just want to win.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m first-team all-rookie, I don’t care about all that,” Lively explained. “I just want to go out there and get the W.”
Part of the rookie experience involves the rookie wall that many talk about. Lively admitted he felt it in November or December given all of the adjustments that are required not just on the court, but regarding lifestyle. He clearly handled it well as he maintained an instrumental contributor.
“Man, I hit the wall when the season started. November, I probably hit the wall. December, January, let’s be honest, but it’s basketball. You can get tired,” Lively admitted.
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“You’re going to be tired mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally with all the things going on with all the media going on,” Lively elaborated. “If you go outside, no matter if you want to be seen or not, it’s kind of hard because you are labeled as a Mavs player, and you’re a basketball player.”
As Lively continues to be an impact player in the playoffs, he leans on the advice of his mother, Kathy Drysdale, who recently passed away. Lively mentioned a phrase, “sink or swim,” that his mother would use throughout his childhood to handle difficult situations.
“I feel like it comes back to my mom’s own saying, and this goes back to when I was a baby: sink or swim,” Lively said. “You’re going to be in high-intensity moments, do-or-die moments, as you could call them. You’re either going to float, stay alive, and figure out how to learn and adapt, or you’re going to sink and fall to the floor. No one wants to sink; everyone wants to stay afloat.”
READ MORE: Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving Tandem Instrumental in Deep Playoff Run
The Oklahoma City Thunder tried to intentionally send Lively to the free throw line in some late-game situations during the Mavericks’ Western Conference semifinal series. Lively mentioned how he didn’t view it as a challenge from the opponent. Instead, he would lean on his mother’s voice when he stepped up to the free-throw line. He shot 50.6% from the free throw line in the regular season but raised it to 66.7% against the Thunder.
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“It wasn’t even a challenge from them. I heard my mom in my ear saying, ‘If you miss it, you suck.’ So you just have to step up and make those easy shots,” Lively said. “If they’re going to give you free shots, you have to make them. Whenever you miss them, it just makes you want to get in the gym and work on it that much more.”
Lively’s next challenge will be against a star-studded frontcourt with four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns when taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. Interestingly enough, Lively’s first exposure to NBA basketball involved
” I got to be able to be more sound whenever there’s a, you know, he’s been what multiple time defensive player of the year. And they have a lot, they have a lot of size for multiple, multiple positions.. You got to be able to learn to be able to adapt, got to be able to find the holes and what they have in the defense, and just be able to try to come out on top.”
Lively has respect for the impact Gobert provides defensively, particularly emphasizing the difficulty of account for his timing, positioning, and wingspan.
“I would say his timing, his positioning, his arm length, and his being able to just understand who’s coming,” Lively said of Gobert. “If they’re going to come down the lane and you’re a right-hand finisher, he’s going to sit on your right hand, knowing that you’re not going to go to your left. Or if he knows that you have a lot of athleticism, he’s going to meet you one step earlier, so you can’t load up as far.
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“Just being able to know that he’s been doing this for a lot of years is going to make it that much harder, but it’s going to make it that much more fun to learn,” Lively explained.
One reporter asked Lively since Kyrie can go left or right, Gobert can’t block Kyrie’s shot, right? Lively replied: “Good luck.
Lively admitted he’s been trying all season to figure out how to block Irving’s shot in practice: “I’ve been trying to figure out how to block his shot all year, and I haven’t had much success. Knowing we have Kyrie Irving there will make him think. That’s where I’m going to try to find little holes in the defense.”
Recent headlines: Dallas Morning News, Wednesday, “Hundreds of Voters Turned Away at Polls” and ”Residents frustrated after being redirected to their assigned sites.”
The Texas Tribune, Wednesday, “In Dallas County, frustration and confusion after GOP forces switch to precinct-based voting.”
VoteBeat Texas, Tuesday, “Primary voters frustrated and confused after Dallas County switches to precinct-based voting.”
All this despite the Dallas County Commissioner’s Court spending $1 million on a voter outreach campaign to alert voters to the changes.
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Thanks, Dallas County Republicans, you’ve wasted our time and money!
Kimberly Farrar, Richardson
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An egregious fraud
Having recently voted in the 2026 Texas primary elections, I should feel a degree of satisfaction for meeting my civic duty and my obligation as a U.S. citizen. Why is it that I feel as if I am perpetuating an egregious fraud?
The rules governing this election obligate me to declare that I am either a Democrat or a Republican before I am allowed to participate. I am neither. What are my options?
I can play along, pick a side and vote for the candidates on my ballot that I truly support while being unable to express that same support for other candidates because their names do not appear. Or I can join the vast majority of my fellow citizens and choose not to participate at all.
I was always taught that in a democracy, elections are fair and free. How can elections be considered fair when (by rule) the names of half of the candidates are not even on my ballot?
May the best candidate win, even if I was never given the chance to vote for him/her.
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Wayne Hardey, northwest Dallas/Disney Streets
Needs more transparency
Re: “City Hall debate is a rerun of AAC debacle — We need to slow down, insist on transparency and get this right,” by Laura Miller, Wednesday Opinion.
Laura Miller is right about everything! There isn’t enough transparency about the deal with City Hall. The iconic building is unique and one of a kind and should be repaired and preserved.
I.M. Pei personally mixed the concrete to a specific color to appear warm in the Texas sun. The city council should be ashamed of allowing the building to get into such bad shape.
Paul Taylor, Dallas/Oak Lawn
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No Cowboys Stadium in Dallas
If my memory serves, Laura Miller singlehandedly quashed Jerry Jones’ desire to build Cowboys Stadium in downtown Dallas. The tremendous benefits Dallas residents would have received were innumerable, and it would have enhanced property values in an area that desperately needed that.
I find it ironic that Miller is opining on anything related to building in Dallas.
Michael DeMott, Frisco
Laura Miller had the right idea
I grew up in Plano, and I live in Richardson now, so I’ve been observing Dallas up close for nearly seven decades. One thing that sticks out is that Dallas is really good at building glitzy shiny structures, but it’s not good at taking care of them.
I read about City Hall, the futuristic building built in 1978 that is becoming unusable largely due to lack of maintenance. Now, they are trying to decide if the building is worth saving, or do they need to build yet another. They build designer bridges, but can’t fix streets and can’t replace aging water lines.
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One of the things I learned in business is to make sure what you have is right and is working properly before branching out into new ventures. It’s that way with infrastructure.
Infrastructure isn’t glamorous, but we certainly notice when it fails. It’s crucial to a modern city.
Years ago, Miller ran for mayor partly on a platform of fixing Dallas’ aging infrastructure. She was ridiculed as the “pothole mayor.” I think she had the right idea.
Steven Ritchey, Richardson
Not a fan of Texas Ranger statue
Re: “’One Riot, One Ranger’ statue finds new home — Sculpture removed from Love Field in 2020 now at Globe Life Field,” Tuesday Metro & Business story.
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As a 50-year fan of the Texas Rangers baseball club, I was extremely disappointed to learn of the relocation of the banished Texas Ranger statue to Globe Life Field. The statue was removed from Love Field for the systemic racist history it represents, as the Rangers are well known for abusing minorities, especially the Mexican-American communities.
Given the ongoing ICE raids and roundups of anyone who looks brown or black, the statue’s new location at the ballpark is questionable at best and insulting at worst to the large Latino fan base the Ranger baseball team enjoys.
The public relations office really struck out with this boneheaded idea. They should have read some Texas history or the book, Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers.
Tony Torres, Garland
Love letter to Dallas
My most perfect day. I was high up in the mountains and came upon a green pasture filled with wildflowers, including beautiful columbines. There on my left was a worn-down home and Aspen trees, glittering silver to green in the cool gentle wind. And on the ridge before me was a full-grown porcupine just wandering across, coming from the Aspens and heading to the snowcapped mountains. I was 14 and it was a perfect day, time and moment.
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Hold unto these moments. You never know when they can come around. The summer days lumbered on, like the porcupine, but way too quick, it was back to school. Back to W. T. White among my friends.
I miss my youth in Dallas. Times in the creek on hot summer days. Crawling under the wired fence to watch Jesuit High School games, a snowball fight with Dallas police and so much more.
This is my love letter to Dallas.
James K. Waghorne, Wichita Falls
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Food influencer Keith Lee announced a new phase of his career by becoming an investor in Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, an Asian-fusion restaurant chain with several locations across the U.S.
The announcement was accompanied by a special event at the brand’s Dallas restaurant, where Lee made a public appearance to celebrate the new partnership.
“I love the innovation. I love the way that they move. I love the business mind that they have,” Lee said about his investment in the brand to The News. “I think there is just a bunch of really dope things that we can do together and bring the community together.”
The popular influencer’s presence drew hundreds of people to the restaurant, hoping to meet him in person. Lee interacted with attendees, greeted fans and provided customer service inside the restaurant, taking pictures, chatting and serving menu items.
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Keith Lee (left), influencer, food critic and Dallas resident, speaks to Kristel Clouse as she tells him to visit her Forney restaurant Brunch Room Bistro during an appearance by Lee at Brooklyn Dumpling Shop on Friday, March 6, 2026, in Dallas. Lee has joined the brand as an investor as part of a landmark, multiyear partnership.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
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“Keith is so hot right now, and what we love about him is his authenticity and the way he always supports the community,” said Jeff Galletly, CEO of Brooklyn Dumpling Shop.
Lee, who has more than 20 million followers on different digital platforms, reviews restaurants across the country. In his videos, he usually eats in his car and gives an honest opinion on the food’s quality. After publishing his review, food businesses are impacted either by stratospheric demand or public disapproval.
“I love Dallas. Dallas is amazing,” Lee said. “We have been here for the last year. It’s really quiet, it’s peaceful. I love it out here.”
Keith Lee, influencer, food critic and Dallas resident, puts on an apron during an appearance at Brooklyn Dumpling Shop on Friday, March 6, 2026, in Dallas. Lee has joined the brand as an investor as part of a landmark, multiyear partnership.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
From Dallas, Lee continues traveling across the country to visit restaurants and post his reviews on social media.
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Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is at 2548 Elm St., Dallas. brooklyndumplingshop.com.
Among the many surprises in Tuesday’s primaries, one of the most shocking took place in the Democratic primary for Dallas County district attorney. Amber Givens, a former district court judge with a history of injudicious behavior on the bench, handily beat incumbent John Creuzot, whose leadership and experience in office earned the respect of a wide array of legal and community leaders.
We had expected that Democratic voters would want to retain a public servant who performed his job with diligence and integrity. Creuzot championed innovative, evidence-based programs to address the needs of suspects with mental illness and substance abuse problems.
Instead they elevated someone whose ability to do the job is an open question.
So what happened? We don’t know.
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Were primary voters just uninformed about the vast difference in experience and qualifications? Were they most concerned with the races at the top of the ticket, while ignoring lower ballot races? Judicial and county races often get short shrift.
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Maybe voters viewed Givens as the more progressive of the two candidates, and preferred her politics. Long ago, Creuzot did run for judge as a Republican.
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But as a Democratic district attorney, he’s been a favorite target of Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Early in his first term, Creuzot announced his office wouldn’t prosecute low-level theft of basic necessities, partly to keep impoverished, nonviolent offenders out of jail. He later dropped the policy when he found it had little impact on the crime rate. Creuzot also joined several other big-city DAs and sued Paxton after his office tried to impose onerous reporting requirements on local jurisdictions. The DAs won.
Meanwhile, before her victory, Givens was in the news for all the wrong reasons.
In June, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct publicly admonished her for “failing to comply with and maintain professional competence in the law,” in regards to due process and for failing to treat a defendant with “patience, dignity and courtesy.” Givens was also publicly reprimanded for allegedly allowing a court staff member to substitute for her during a virtual bond hearing and for mistreating attorneys in her courtroom. She appealed the rulings and a three-judge panel in Austin re-tried the case late last month but has not yet issued its verdict.
Givens’ campaign website said the incumbent DA’s office denied evidence was missing for some felony cases. In fact, the Dallas Police Department had lost track of or deleted digital files that the DA’s office didn’t know existed. Even highly professional prosecutors and judges can be stymied by failures in other parts of the criminal justice system.
Her first news conference as DA-elect (there is no opposition in November) revealed few specifics about how she plans to run her new office. Givens emphasized that she was vastly outspent by Creuzot, which is true. She wants to establish community justice councils and set strict deadlines to decide whether to seek an indictment in cases of all types. Neither sounds realistic.
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We have to hope for the best, but the record here convinces us Dallas County Democratic voters got this race as wrong as any we can recall.
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