While there is no official timeline of return yet, Dereck Lively II is trending in a positive direction in his ongoing injury recovery for the Dallas Mavericks.
Mavs general manager Mike Schmitz joined 105.3 The Fan and revealed that Lively II is actively working out in the team's gym as he continues his offseason foot rehabilitation.
“D-Live has been working his tail off. He’s in the facility constantly, completely locked into everything we’re doing and doing everything in his power to be his best self,” Schmitz said.
“Really, really proud of just the approach he’s taken and his mentality, his voice. He’s young, but he’s got a presence to him. Just having him in our facility every day and working his tail off to get to 100 percent is something that we feel every day.”
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Dereck Lively II making good recovery progress amid injury-plagued Mavs campaign
After becoming a critical member of the Dallas Mavericks' major run to reach the 2024 NBA Finals as a rookie, Dereck Lively II has experienced an unfortunate, injury-plagued run across the past two seasons with the team.
His 2024-25 campaign was derailed by a right ankle stress fracture that forced him to miss 36 games, followed by an offseason surgery to clear out his right foot bone spurs.
The following season, Lively suffered a sprained right knee before undergoing a major, season-ending right foot operation in December after appearing in just seven games.
In the end, the Mavericks are trusting Lively's recovery and are hoping he will be available ahead of the upcoming 2026-27 season.
“He’s doing everything in his power, and we’re just really proud of the progress he’s made and continuing to chip away at everything as we get closer to the start of camp,” Schmitz continued.