Lively II played in just 36 games for the Mavs in the recent past NBA season due to his injury.
Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II recently underwent a surgery on his right foot. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, he is likely to gain full recovery and be back in action for the training camp. Lively II’s surgery came just a few days after Anthony Davis underwent a retina surgery on his eye while Kyrie Irving is in rehab for the ACL tear. Talking about the 21-year-old, he played in just 36 games for the Mavs in the recent past NBA season due to his injury.
While his injury came as a setback, the fact that he would be back in action in the next season comes as a positive update for the franchise that received multiple injury blows in 2024-25. With him returning to action, the Mavericks can hope for Lively to have a fresh start in the frontcourt, which would allow Anthony Davis to return to his preferred position at power forward. Lively II, who will now enter his third NBA season, averaged 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in the past season. He was shooting 79.2% from the field.
According to the update, Dereck Lively II will be back in action by training camp after his surgery to remove spurs from the right foot. However, the injury raises a concern for the Mavericks considering he has suffered two significant injuries on the same foot in just over a year. It goes without saying that the Mavericks would want Lively II to return soon and have optimism about his recovery, there might be talks that the franchise might consider moving on without him.
However, this doesn’t seem to be the right choice for the Mavericks who have a lost list of injured players. As stated, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis are also recovering from surgeries and this has led to the Mavericks in a period of uncertainty. Now, the franchise is entirely dependent on Cooper Flagg and Daniel Gafford, who arrived in Dallas last season. Expecting too much from Flagg would only add burden to young shoulders, and even though he would be backed by Gafford’s consistency, it wouldn’t take them far enough.
Hence, the Mavericks should start considering Lively II as a young lad who is yet to prove his mettle in the NBA.
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