Mavericks' rising star's kryptonite returns with unsettling new injury

Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II's kryptonite over his first few seasons in the NBA has undoubtedly been injuries, and he seems to be dealing with a new knee injury that Mavs fans should keep an eye on moving forward. This injury is relatively new, as it has caused him to miss the last four games, and concern seems to grow among fans with every consecutive game that he misses.

Dallas is plummeting in the standings over the first couple of weeks of the season, as they are currently 2-5 and the 14th-ranked team in the Western Conference, with only the New Orleans Pelicans having a worse record. Injuries have already taken over the season, just as they did last year, and the fact that Lively II didn't make the team's most recent road trip to Mexico City and Houston could be a major red flag that whatever he is dealing with right now is serious.

Lively II's current ailment was originally ruled a knee contusion, which is a small setback that usually isn't serious at all, but the fact that the injury has now been listed as a knee sprain is a reason for concern.

The severity of Dereck Lively II's knee injury is unclear

Lively II has been the glue that holds the Mavericks together ever since they drafted him in 2023, and there is a night-and-day difference from when he is playing compared to when he is out of the lineup.

Mavs fans will be crossing their fingers that he can start making the American Airlines Center "lively" again soon, especially since they are struggling so badly to start the season, and they haven't even been able to show off their new frontcourt yet, thanks to all of the injuries that Lively II, Anthony Davis, and Daniel Gafford have already dealt with. Size was supposed to be one of the Mavs' biggest strengths this season, but the durability of this unit has been under fire.

This trio of dominant big men hasn't even gotten to play a single game together yet, and Lively II's health will be key for the team to get back on track.

It is a bit unsettling that his diagnosis was changed from a contusion to a sprain, and this, combined with the fact that he didn't make the trip for a memorable game in Mexico City (that he was excited for per his Media Day interview), aren't great tea leaves to read into when speculating about when Lively II will be back on the floor.

Injuries have not been his friend throughout his young NBA career, as he only played in 81 games over his first two seasons in the NBA. Constantly varying injuries derailed the progression that he was making in his game, and this was supposed to be the year that he stayed healthy and remained as healthy as possible.

On Media Day back at the end of September, Lively II emphasized that he put in extensive work over the offseason to prepare himself for the regular season, even voicing that he wants to be more available than he was last season.

"I know I missed some games last year, and I want to make up for that," Lively II said. "I'm trying to make sure that I play as many games as I possibly can, be as consistent as I possibly can, and do whatever it takes to win."

He continued to say that his top individual goal was to remain healthy, and so far, this hasn't gone his way.

Lively II still has plenty of time to recover from this knee injury and return to his peak form, and health will ultimately end up being one of Dallas' biggest swing factors of the season. They can't be a playoff team if multiple of their core pieces are consistently in and out of the lineup, and Lively II coming back from this mysterious knee injury is something that they desperately need.