Dereck Lively II's dagger to Rudy Gobert in his latest statements

With the 2024/25 NBA season just around the corner, Dereck Lively II has built a narrative of rivalry around his figure and that of Rudy Gobert. Both are two of the most prominent centers in the league, and the Dallas Mavericks player wanted to recall the last duel against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the previous playoffs.

The Mavs reached the NBA Finals after defeating the T-Wolves 4-1 in the Conference Finals. During an appearance at the Nike EYBL, Lively was interviewed by former Dallas shooting guard, Theo Pinson, who discussed Gobert's performance in that series.

"There are zero reasons why Rudy Gobert should have been on that court," Pinson said. "Zero," echoed Lively, fueling the rivalry. "But you're paying him like 40-50 million dollars... better get your *ss out there and figure it out once and for all," Pinson said. "And he didn't," added Lively maliciously.

A year to keep growing alongside Luka Doncic

Beyond his criticisms of Rudy Gobert, Dereck Lively II needs to focus on himself, as with just one year in the NBA, he is one of the standout centers in the league. His pick-and-roll partnership with Luka Doncic is deadly for their opponents, but they will need to continue improving to face rivals like the Boston Celtics, who dominated them in the last NBA Finals.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El puñal de Dereck Lively II a Rudy Gobert en sus últimas declaraciones