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Dereck Lively II of the Dallas Mavericks has been plagued by injuries since last season.
One of the most promising players in the Dallas Mavericks roster is center Dereck Lively II. However, multiple injuries have plagued Lively since last season, and he could miss a chunk of this campaign because of a foot issue.
Lively has only played in seven games this season after an early knee sprain that cost him 10 games from late October to early November. He was then ruled out on November 21 because of a foot injury, though the Mavericks didn’t specify the diagnosis.
The Mavericks’ official PR account on X initially reported swelling and discomfort in Lively’s right foot. He was set to be reevaluated in seven to 10 days, which came on December 4.
The latest update was more worrisome because Lively is now set to seek multiple opinions regarding his treatment. He’s been ruled out indefinitely without a clear timeline for a return.
Kirk Henderson of Mavs Moneyball opined that the franchise either doesn’t know what’s wrong with Lively or they are choosing to withhold the information on his injury. It’s something that the Mavericks can’t afford right now, especially after they just started repairing their relationship with the fanbase.
Lively’s Injury History
The Dallas Mavericks acquired Dereck Lively II in the 2023 NBA Draft from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder originally drafted Lively at No. 12 before the Mavericks sent No. 10 pick Cason Wallace and Davis Bertans to Oklahoma City.
As a rookie, Lively showed a lot of potential and paired perfectly with Luka Doncic. He played 55 games, missing a handful of games due to a combination of injuries and personal reasons.
Things got worse in his second season in terms of his injury and durability. He only played 35 games after suffering a stress fracture in his right ankle. Lively’s injury was the boiling point of the relationship between director of player health and performance Johann Bilsborough and then-athletic performance director Keith Belton, as reported by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
Belton, who was reportedly unqualified for his position, put Lively through a rigorous regimen to be able to return from a “sprained” ankle. Bilsborough was more concerned and had the young center undergo a CT scan, which showed that Lively had a stress fracture.
Marc Stein of The Stein Line also reported that Lively underwent another procedure on his right foot in the offseason to remove bone spurs.
No Concern Within Mavs Franchise
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Dereck Lively II’s right foot injury, Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal reported that there is no panic or concern within the Mavericks franchise.
“Despite the prolonged symptoms, there is no genuine concern within the organization that the issue will become a long-term, season-limiting problem beyond the current uncertainty over his next steps,” Afseth wrote.
At just 21 years old, Lively is one of the building blocks of the Mavericks post-Luka Doncic trade. Cooper Flagg is starting to get comfortable, while Ryan Nembhard has been playing really well over the past couple of weeks. Anthony Davis is healthy again and Klay Thompson is starting to get hot off the bench.
Juan Paolo David Juan Paolo David is a sports journalist covering basketball for Heavy. He has a decade of experience writing about the NBA and WWE. He’s currently based in the Philippines. More about Juan Paolo David
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