Dereck Lively II's next role on the Mavericks may not be one he's keen to

Dereck Lively II is unquestionably one of the Dallas Mavericks' biggest X factors next season, but he may not return to full form right away, especially since he might be coming off the bench once he returns from injury, and this probably isn't the role he envisions for himself.

For starters, it didn't look like Lively II would be healthy for the start of the regular season after an injury update he gave campers at a Mavericks youth camp back in June, and Daniel Gafford is still on Dallas' roster as of now despite trade rumors. This makes it hard to see how Lively II would be the starter once he returns from injury.

New head coach Dusty May is assuming a crowded frontcourt, one that houses No. 9 overall pick Morez Johnson Jr., whom May just coached at the University of Michigan en route to a National Championship, so Lively II may be scraping for minutes once he returns from injury.

Lively II may have to accept a backup role

If Dallas trades Gafford before Lively II returns or suffers an injury with one of their big men, this would make it a lot easier for Lively II to become a starter again once he returns from injury, but there are some obvious questions surrounding his return.

When Lively II last spoke on his right foot back in June, he had shed his walking boot but hadn't progressed to running yet. Lively II had two major surgeries on his right foot within five months in 2025, and it wouldn't be surprising if Dallas treats his comeback gingerly, whether that involves a minute restriction or not playing on one night of back-to-backs.

The quicker Lively II returns from injury, the quicker he'll be back in full form, but based on the severity of the complications he's dealt with in his right foot through three seasons in the league thus far, Mavericks fans shouldn't get their hopes up that he's going to come back guns blazing and retain the starting center position right away.

Lively II's return can't be a rushed process given the stakes

Lively II has a solid chance of becoming Dallas' starter once again, but this may not be till he gets more up to speed or after Dallas trades Gafford, as it won't be easy to get back to full speed after he only played seven games toward the start of last season.

It'll be interesting to see how Lively II adapts to a lesser role if that's the case once he returns from injury, as this could be something that frustrates him, but ultimately, the 22-year-old is probably just happy to get back on the court again, as he's been out for so long at this point.

If Lively II has another injury-prone season, or takes a long time to return to full form, perhaps contract extension talks could halt between him in Dallas, and the team may have to look into trading him ahead of next season's trade deadline. Of course, this a sum-of-all-fears scenario, and Mavericks fans just want to see Lively II back on the court and healthy for a sustained stretch, regardless of what role he's playing once he first returns from injury.

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