Mavericks' Lively II Out at Least 3 Games with Foot Injury

Dallas, Texas – The Dallas Mavericks announced Tuesday that center Dereck Lively II will miss at least the next three games due to swelling and discomfort in his right foot, the same one he underwent surgery on during the offseason to remove bone spurs. The 21-year-old, who has been limited to just seven appearances this season, will not travel with the team on their ongoing four-game road trip and is scheduled for reevaluation in seven to 10 days.

Lively's injury marks a recurrence of issues in his lower body that have hampered his young career. He last played on November 22 against the Memphis Grizzlies, contributing four points and four rebounds in 18 minutes. Since then, he has missed two games, initially listed for right foot injury management. This season, Lively has averaged 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game while on a minutes restriction of about 16 per night. The Mavericks, who selected him 12th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft after trading up on draft night, had hoped the summer procedure would resolve his availability concerns following a stress fracture in his right ankle that sidelined him for 36 consecutive games last season.