Ht/Wt: 7' 1" / 215 lbs
Position: C
Team: Duke
Class: Freshman

2023 Draft Profile - Dereck Lively II

Jonathan Wasserman - Bleacher Report - June 21st: "Still, Lively’s shooting during pro day and workouts have scouts revisiting the high school projections of a potential stretch-5 shot-blocker."

Kyle Irving - Sporting News - June 21st: "The Duke center improved with every game over his freshman season, showcasing his elite rim protection and motor on the glass as a future defensive anchor in the NBA. Lively's draft stock soared during pre-draft workouts when he flashed his potential to knock down 3s."

Gary Parrish - CBS Sports - June 20th: "Lively's one season at Duke got off to a rough start and was statistically unimpressive, but he showed enough down the stretch as an impactful defender to solidify himself as a top-20 pick."

NBA Draft Room - May 16th: "Protects the rim and is a game changer on the defensive end. Doesn’t score the ball well but projects as a solid role player at the NBA level."

John Fanta - Fox Sports - May 12: "With a 7-foot-6 wingspan, Lively's explosiveness on the defensive end of the floor should translate right to the NBA. He was a game-changer for Duke's rim protection and kept getting better as the year went on."

Tyler Byrum and Chase Hughes - NBC Sports - May 8th: "Lively is a 7-foot-1 shot-blocker who, if he enters the draft this year as a freshman, will do so as a project. He has the physical tools to be a very good rim-protector at the next level, but he will probably take some time to get there and will need to be developed properly."

Bryan Kalbrosky - For the Win - May 5th: "Opponents were just 14-for-38 (36.8 percent) when he defended them in the restricted area of the paint, per AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform. Meanwhile, via CBB Analytics, the other team was held to shoot just 29.8 percent in the paint during minutes when Lively was on the floor."

Jonathan Wasserman - Bleacher Report - Jan. 5th: "A limited offensive game and role will cause Lively to either slip or return to Duke. He's becoming more of a second-round option for a team that values his rim protection and potential to eventually shoot threes."




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