Duke center Dereck Lively II has declared as an Early Entry Candidate for the 2023 NBA Draft. Lively is projected to be selected in the middle of the first round of this year's draft.
In his lone season with the Blue Devils, Lively started 24 of 34 games. He averaged 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 20.6 minutes per game.
At 7-foot-1, Lively is one of the biggest prospects projected to go in the top half of the draft, outside of Victor Wembanyama. Scouts project Lively to be an instant impact player as a defender and rebounder.