Mavericks center Dereck Lively II danced in place at Friday’s morning shootaround as the popular 1970s R&B hit “Ladies Night” blared through the speakers.
The 21-year-old big man appeared to be in good spirits despite being two days removed from the team’s announcement that his third season had come to a premature end.
Lively will soon undergo surgery at the Fortius Clinic in London to repair a lingering right foot injury, but his teammates are confident he’ll overcome his most significant NBA injury with grace and resilience.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear for him, obviously, and then for our team,” said Max Christie. “He’s such a good force for us when he’s on the floor. Injuries happen and things that are out of his control. As a team, we gotta be able to rally around him and continue to support him.”
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Without Lively, the Mavericks will rely on Anthony Davis to hold down the center position. Daniel Gafford will offer support in the frontcourt once he’s healthy enough to play after missing the last two games with right ankle injury management. He is listed as doubtful for Friday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Lively finished the season averaging a career-low 4.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in just seven games. He dealt with injury management of his right foot as well as a right knee sprain, which made him miss 18 games. He’s appeared in just 98 of 189 regular-season games since he entered the NBA in 2023.
“He’s gonna take it like a champ,” Christie said. “He’s gonna be a professional. He’s gonna be a great teammate and continue to encourage like he always has been. Even when he’s not playing, he’s still going to be effective for us.”
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