It’s the final weekend before the NBA regular season begins, which means you’re coming here for your fantasy basketball drafts.
Should you draft Dereck Lively II this season? Here’s the latest outlook, projections, and rankings for the Dallas Mavericks Center.
Should You Draft Dereck Lively II in Fantasy Basketball?
Dereck Lively II enters the 2025-26 season as one of the NBA’s most promising young big men. After an impressive sophomore campaign anchoring the Dallas Mavericks’ defense, Lively has solidified his role as the team’s starting center. Last season, he averaged 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 blocks, and 0.6 steals in 23.1 minutes per game on 70.2% shooting from the field and 63.0% from the free throw line.
Unfortunately, a stress fracture in his right ankle ended his 2024-25 season prematurely, but he’s an intruiging fantasy option if he can stay healthy this year. His elite athleticism, rim protection ability, and scoring efficiency make him a valuable contributor in both category and points leagues. He’s a reliable double-double threat whose defensive stats make him a must-roster center.
Looking for more fantasy basketball outlooks? Head over to our NBA landing page for analysis on 200 players.
What Are Lively’s Fantasy Basketball Projections This Season?
Based on our proprietary metrics here at PFSN, we project Lively to score 1,696.8 fantasy points this season, with him averaging 8.9 points per game.
This includes 3.8 field goals per game, 0.0 three-pointers per game, 1.3 free throws per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, 1.7 assists per game, 0.5 steals per game, and 1.5 blocks per game.
Where Does Dereck Lively II Rank in the Upcoming Fantasy Basketball Season?
Lively is ranked 126th overall and 28th at his position. The five players ranked ahead of him overall include Dylan Harper, Daniel Gafford, Jonathan Kuminga, Yves Missi, and Dillon Brooks.
The five players ranked behind him overall include Chris Paul, Brandon Ingram, Ace Bailey, Herbert Jones, and Luguentz Dort.
The five players ranked ahead of him at his position include Jakob Poeltl, Wendell Carter Jr., Walker Kessler, Gafford, and Missi.
The five players ranked behind him at his position include Brook Lopez, Joel Embiid, Derik Queen, Goga Bitadze, and Kyle Filipowski.
