Mavericks center Derek Lively II’s 3-word message after injury update
on wednesday The Dallas Mavericks have received rough injury information when it was announced that the starting center Derek Lively II would miss the next two to three months after suffering a small fracture in his right foot, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon. Lively has been out of the lineup for the past few games due to injury, but the fracture was not discovered until a recent test, after which a timetable for his return was given.
Despite the setback, Lively seems to be embracing it optimistic approach to his recovery, posting “I’ll be back,” along with a prayer emoji, on his Instagram story on Wednesday.
Lively has been an essential part of the Mavericks roster for the past two seasons. The former first-round pick gave Dallas a degree of defensive edge protection as well as an offensive rebounding threat in addition to being one of the most athletic big men in the NBA, capable of running the floor and giving the team an element of transition.
The Mavericks are currently dealing with multiple injuries, most notably franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic, who has been out since suffering an injury on Christmas Day against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kyrie Irving has also been on and off the injury report for Dallas, having recently returned from his short injury layoff.
Can the Mavericks hold down the fort?
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Injuries quickly threatened to derail what started as a promising season for the Mavericks. Doncic is currently in his second extended missed period with no clear return date set yet, and the team has seen their production drop dramatically as a result.
The offseason addition of Klay Thompson has paid some dividends, but at this stage in his career, Thompson isn’t the type of player who can carry understaffed offenses for large stretches.
With Lively now out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, the Mavericks will lean more heavily on Daniel Gafford, who recently had a monster game against the Charlotte Hornets.
If Lively is able to return in the short term, there is hope that he could be back before the postseason.
2025-01-22 20:48:00
