NBA Rookie of the Year ladder: Big rise from Bilal Coulibaly in Week 3

Dereck Lively is the starting center for the 9-3 Dallas Mavericks. That, simply put, is not normal — especially for a 19-year-old who spent the majority of his freshman season at Duke running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Lively is a testament to the value of feel and work ethic as it relates to NBA Draft prospects. He was lost for a long portion of his lone season at Duke, but Lively worked his tail off and absorbed a lot of information quickly. By season's end, he was spearheading the Blue Devils' tournament run with elite rim protection and a stabilizing offensive presence above the rim.

He's translating that success to the Mavs, where he has the undeniable benefit of playing lob-catcher for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The fact that it took Dallas several years to land Doncic a lob threat who can actually defend is front office malpractice, but it also speaks to how successful that No. 12 pick is going to look in hindsight. Lively has underrated passing chops and he already looks at home in Dallas' offense. He's a fast learner and a hard worker, and he deserves a mountain of credit for his early production.

The defense is a huge part of this equation too. So many rookie centers struggle on defense — even those billed as top-shelf rim protectors. It's a difficult position to manage. So much is required as a backstop and a communicator, and Lively looks great. He's easily overshadowed by a couple special bigs in this rookie class, but Lively is averaging 1.1 blocks in 24.1 minutes per game, on top of his 9.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 72.9 percent shooting.

Dallas has its starting center of the future after years of Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber, and the failed JaVale McGee experiment. If the Mavs are legitimate contenders in April, a lot of flowers should be placed at Lively's doorstep.