Dereck Lively II discusses career aspirations during NBA Summer League halftime show

Former Duke center Dereck Lively II was one of the most dominant shot blockers in college basketball last season. Nobody knows that better than North Carolina center Armando Bacot, who struggled mightily during the Blue Devils’ 63-57 win over the Tar Heels on Feb. 4. Lively simply dominated the paint, swatting eight blocks and bringing down 14 rebounds in his team’s 63-57 win. His eight blocks were the most ever by a Duke player against the Tar Heels. The former Blue Devil star has been busy getting his feet wet this summer in the NBA Summer League with the Dallas Mavericks. On Saturday, during halftime of the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic game, Lively joined the set to talk about a number of topics.

Dereck Lively II discusses his NBA Summer League experience

What has the NBA Summer League experience been like for him so far?

“You know, it’s really you just kinda be a sponge. It’s a completely new experience. You’re in a new area. New environment. Just completely different style of game. You’ve just gotta be able to go in there and try and be a sponge and just adapt as quick as possible,” Lively said.

What kind of advice has he been given from some of his old teammates that have already been through the Summer League experience?

“You know, they told me to always be focused,” the former Duke star continued. “Don’t listen to any outside noise. It’s a leap of faith, honestly, being able to know that, sometimes you don’t know where you’re gonna go. You don’t know if it’s gonna be a good game or a bad game. But you can’t let that deter your routine. You can’t let that deter your schedule in what you do. It’s your job to be in the best shape possible, and that’s what you gotta do.”

The ESPN reporter then wanted to know if Lively has had any conversations with two of his team’s superstars, Luka Donic and Kyrie Irving.

“Yeah I definitely had a couple conversations with them. We’re excited. We each know what it take [the team] to championships and be able to get big wins. You know, being able to know, that it’s not easy,” Lively continued. “We all know that I’ve got their back every step of the way. They always know that I’m gonna set screens to get them open. And I’m gonna make sure I get the right play every step of the way. You know, there’s gonna be some mistakes. But that’s not gonna deter the situation to get the win.”

What does Lively hope to accomplish in his NBA career in the future?

“You know, I just wanna be the most coachable player on the floor. Being able to just learn something from each game. I’m not thinking about accomplishments, I wanna be All-Rookie or all that. I just wanna be able to be a dominant force, no matte if that’s on the defensive end or the offensive end. I want people to know that whenever they wake up in the morning, they’ve got to play Dereck Lively. That’s what I want it to be,” Lively said on Saturday evening.