NBA Rookie of the Year ladder: Chet and Wemby trade blows, Ausar on the rise

Dereck Lively still has to earn Jason Kidd's trust late in games, but the Duke product has very quickly assumed the starting center mantle for a 6-1 Dallas Mavericks team. Life is often difficult for rookie centers. There is so much to navigate defensively at the five spot in the NBA. Lively spent a large portion of his freshman season with the Blue Devils struggling on defense. Now, he's thriving as a pro.

Basketball I.Q. and feel goes a long way in the NBA, and Lively has always been a fast learner. He thinks the game at a high level. He's averaging 1.0 blocks in 24.0 minutes per game, on top of consistent production elsewhere — 9.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists on 77.8 percent shooting.

He is a legitimate starter for a legitimate contender. Lively doesn't have the most expansive offensive skill set, but he's a hyper-efficient rim finisher who has completely revamped the Dallas offense with his vertical threat. Luka Doncic has never played with such an explosive lob target. Defenses have to adjust their scheme for Doncic because of Lively's absurd catch radius. It's why you invest in nuclear athletes with 7-foot-7 wingspans.

On the whole, Lively has been the most pleasantly surprising rookie to date. He was always going to get a shot to play given the Mavs' shoddy frontcourt depth, but he has thoroughly outclassed Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber from day one. He is firmly entrenched as the starter and his minutes are going to creep upward as the season progresses.

Lively fits into a very tight niche at the moment, but he has absolutely killed it within the confines of his role. He is a significant factor in the Mavs' early-season turnaround.