As much excitement and potential as this year’s version of the Dallas Mavericks has, there are also many questions that will determine just how high the team’s ceiling can be in 2026-27. One of the biggest questions involves just how healthy Dereck Lively II is. After having an incredible rookie year that ended up in a trip to the 2024 NBA Finals, the fourth-year big man has been battling foot injuries ever since.
During Mavs Media Day on Friday morning, Lively gave Mavs fans an update on how he’s
feeling and how his offseason recovery has gone.
“Everything’s been great,” Lively said. “It’s been a lot of focus, a lot of days in the gym, a lot of hard days working. It’s been ups and downs. Trying to keep my focus on what I can control, not worry about things I can’t keep out of my control, and just having trust in my team, having trust in the people around me, my doctors, and the people who support me.”
During every NBA Media Day, there’s always a lot of buzz about certain guys getting taller or adding more muscle. That was the case in Dallas on Friday when it comes to the height of reigning 19-year-old Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, who is now reportedly 6-10 without shoes on. Lively, who is still just 22 years old, was asked if he’s grown a little bit as well.
“Who knows? I feel taller than everybody. I feel like that’s had to change. I know I’ve definitely put on some size. I’ve definitely put on a good amount of muscle,” Lively said. “I feel like I’ve been trying to lose as much body fat as possible, trying to stay in the right shape, no matter if that’s me on the bike, me riding the treadmill, me swimming. That’s definitely been a big change in my routine. So just doing whatever I can to make sure I keep my body right and keep my mind right.”
The biggest question for Lively, though, is: when will he be ready to get on the court again? It’s a good sign that he’s no longer in a walking boot that he seemed to be in forever over the summer, but according to a report from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon earlier this week, Lively still hasn’t been cleared for training camp yet. Lively was asked about his injury timeline on Friday, and here’s what he had to say.
“I’m happy where I am. I’m very grateful to the team for just giving me the ability to just take my time, make sure I’m doing everything right, and making sure I’m taking care of my body,” Lively said. “I’ve been running on the treadmill, been practicing jumps, been slowly getting back on the court, getting my shots up, making sure I’m still confident in my shot, and just being part of the team. Having everybody around the team, no matter if it’s the trainers, the medical staff, the team, the coaches. It’s been great just to have everybody around, having the energy again … It’s been a great time to be back with the team.”
Although Lively’s foot health is concerning, he deserves to be able to take as much time as he needs to make sure he gets 100 percent right again before stepping foot on the court. That’s the least the Mavs can do for him, given the malpractice that took place with the previous front office regime when it came to his injury management.
