Dereck Lively II is still the one Mavericks player on the sideline, working back from the foot surgery he had in December while the rest of Dallas deals with injuries in one form or another. He was ruled out before training camp, and his availability for the start of the season is still up in the air.
For Lively, though, the bigger story is not the timeline. It’s the process. Dallas has given him room to handle the rehab the right way, and he says that patience has mattered.
“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... 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,” Lively started.
He said he feels good about where he stands now and appreciates the organization for not rushing him back.
“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. I’ve been running 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."
Lively also made it clear he’s tired of the noise surrounding his recovery. In a short interview with "Locked On Mavs," he pushed back on the online chatter suggesting he can’t move the way he should.
"I'm sick of seeing things on the internet thinking that I can't run, can't jump, which I can and which I've been doing," Lively explained in a short interview with "Locked On Mavs." "I'm thankful for the Mavs to just let me take my time and be slow, making sure I'm doing everything that I need to do to make sure my body will never have to worry about anything ever again."
The concern around Lively isn’t hard to understand. He’s heading into the final year of his rookie contract, so this season carries real weight.
When healthy, he’s already shown he can be the kind of big man who anchors a championship-caliber defense. The problem has been getting him on the floor.
He played only 7 games last season after the foot surgery, which was his third procedure on that same foot in a calendar year. The sequence began with a stress fracture that was first labeled a sprained ankle. After he returned late in the 2024-25 season, he had bone spurs removed from the foot during the 2025 offseason.
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