The Dallas Mavericks got some unfortunate news regarding young big man Dereck Lively II. Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Lively underwent a procedure to address bone spurs in his right foot.
According to Sharania, despite the surgery, Lively is expected to be healthy for training camp.
Lively initially suffered a stress fracture in the same foot during the regular season, which caused him to miss significant time. Now that it’s been addressed, Lively should be able to take a more significant leap next season.
After a strong rookie season saw Lively average 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, he wasn’t able to build much off of that due to his injuries, averaging 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in only 36 games (29 starts) last season.
Assuming he’s healthy, Lively should be a strong part of next season’s core that will include Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving when he returns from his recovery for an ACL tear.