Going to Duke isn’t the only similarity Dereck Lively II has with Cooper Flagg. As Flagg embarks on his NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks, all while still being a teenager, Lively can relate.
He’s hoping he can help Flagg through his rookie year in any way possible.
“I’m making sure that he’s feeling as comfortable as possible, giving him any little detail or any little thing to give him,” Lively explained to reporters at Mavs Academy Hoop Camp on Sunday. “Because whenever I was in his position, I remember how frightened I was, and I was only 19 and he’s 18.”
Lively felt the same way that everyone tied to the Mavericks felt when Dallas won the NBA draft lottery and secured the No. 1 pick.
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“It was an insane moment, we’re grateful for it and we welcome in [Flagg] with open arms,” he said.
Related:Get to know Cooper Flagg: How his ‘wall of hype’ traces from his Maine roots to the Mavs
They never played together at Duke, with Lively suiting up for the Blue Devils in the 2022-23 season and Flagg’s remarkable freshman season with Duke coming in the 2024-25 season, but there is a sense of familiarity between the two.
Flagg’s familiarity with Lively is certainly a good place to start. Aside from his status as a generational talent and No. 1 pick, of course.
“I’ve probably known him for a couple years now, at least two or three years, and he’s just been the same, just smiling, cracking joke kid as I’ve always known,” Lively said. “I’m glad that he’s been able to still be a person and not having too much of the spotlight just rain on him.
“No matter if he’s in the gym, no matter if he’s come by the house, he’s always just had a smile on his face and he’s always just being Coop.”
Plus, Lively isn’t the only fellow Blue Devil on the Mavericks roster. Star guard Kyrie Irving also spent his lone year of college basketball with Duke.
The trio of former Blue Devils will be key for the Mavericks in the 2025-26 season, with the 21-year-old Lively and 18-year-old Flagg being cornerstone pieces for the franchise in the years to come.
Camping with the kids: See photos of Dereck Lively II’s appearance at Mavs Academy Hoop Camp
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