Dereck Lively II must escape haunting fate jeopardizing his Mavericks rise

Dereck Lively II must shake this nagging trend this season, but it's not entirely up to him.

Will Miller

Dallas Mavericks, Dereck Lively II / Ron Jenkins/GettyImages

While the Dallas Mavericks have one of the most talented rosters on paper in the NBA, it cannot be denied that Dallas' fate next season will largely hinge on how healthy they are, as is the case for many NBA teams. This variable may be more volatile in Dallas' case, though, as they are coming off a season where many of their players were injured during crucial stretches, and Kyrie Irving will miss an indefinite amount of time next season, rehabbing from a torn ACL.

It's unlikely the Mavericks will be as injury-plagued as last season, but Irving isn't the only player on the roster who's a threat to miss a lot of games next season, as both Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II have proven to be very injury-prone players throughout their time in the league. While Davis' injuries have more so piled up throughout his career and he's at least had stretches where he's been very healthy, Lively II has only played in 91 regular-season games through two seasons in the league and must be healthier next season for Dallas.

Lively II has dealt with a myriad of injuries since his rookie season, most recently dealing with what is probably his most serious injury to date, as he suffered an ankle stress fracture in his foot after Mavericks trainer Keith Belton pushed Lively II to return with an aggressive return-to-play plan because of originally diagnosing the injury as a mild sprain.

The next step for Dereck Lively II is just staying on the floor

Other Mavericks trainers caught this mistake before Lively II could prematurely return to the floor, and Lively II was miraculously able to return late in the season before Dallas' play-in bouts, but it's since been revealed he wasn't even 100 percent healthy once he returned. He most recently underwent offseason surgery to get some bone spurs removed from the same right foot he had the stress fracture in, and while he's expected to be fully healthy ahead of training camp, Dallas was certainly hoping to avoid offseason surgery here if it was possible.

Lively II is undoubtedly one of the brightest young bigs in the league, and he has All-Star potential if he can continue to hone in on his rim protection and develop his offensive game. The long-rumored addition of a consistent 3-point shot to his game could revolutionize Dallas' offense, but he hasn't shown the ability to stretch the floor in games whatsoever, barring one shot in the 2024 NBA Finals, and he must be on the court more consistently for him to even get comfortable with stretching the floor on occasion.

It's never a good sign when guys over 7-feet have suffered a bunch of lower body and leg injuries early in their career, and while Lively II thankfully hasn't suffered any career-altering injuries up to this point, the number of smaller to moderate injuries he's had throughout his career is less than ideal for a 21-year-old big.

Going forward, Dallas needs Lively II to have at least a moderately healthy season next year. He's never played over 55 games in the regular season during his career, and the Mavericks should aim and hope for him to crack into the 60-65 games played window next season. Lively II and the Mavericks can't control fate, of course, but getting stronger in his lower body and doing whatever injury prevention training he can must be at the forefront of Dallas' athletic training staff's priorities next season.

Will Miller

Will Miller is a senior contributor and is in his second year with The Smoking Cuban. Will has been following the Dallas Mavericks for over a decade and is currently working on getting a Bachelors in Science in Sports Journalism from the University of North Texas, as he is also covering sports for the North Texas TV station. While Will is opening up his coverage to cover other sports for UNT, basketball and the Dallas Mavericks are his true passion and he hopes to continue writing and producing Mavericks related content as his career continues. Will has very solid in-game analysis and knowledge about the intricacies of the game, and has a very broad understanding about the NBA as a whole. Going forward Will is looking to be more expansive in his coverage of the Mavericks beyond writing as well. Outside of writing about the Mavericks, Will enjoys hanging with friends, going to the gym, and watching other sports and live events.