Amid worries about his current health and long-term durability, the young Mavericks center is staying optimistic through a cautious recovery timeline.
Dereck Lively II is confident in his plan to approach his recovery from foot surgery with intentional caution, because it'll allow him to completely move on from what has plagued much of his young NBA career.
But for Dallas Mavericks fans who have grown wary of his injury history - where he's appeared in just 98 of the possible 246 regular-season games since he joined the Mavs - his recent remarks about his rehab could be worrisome.
There is no confirmed timetable for his return to the court, but Lively has remained optimistic through this process.
"I’m taking my time," he said to reporters last week. "I’m taking even more time than I need to make sure I don’t ever have to deal with this foot again. So whenever I can get past that and get over this hill, I know I’ll be 100 percent free."
The 22-year-old 7-footer said he can lift weights and walk without supports (at times he's been seen in a walking boot and using crutches). But he remains unable to jog or run.
Six months ago, Lively underwent surgery to remove debris from a previous foot/ankle injury. He was out for the remainder of the Mavs' 2025-26 season after appearing in just seven games.
His sophomore year, when he played in 36 contests in a tumultuous season for Dallas, saw him miss half the season with a stress fracture in his ankle. Even during his rookie season that ended with the Mavs reaching the NBA Finals, Lively suited up for 55 of the possible 82 games in the regular season, then played in 21 postseason contests.
Lively knows what the highest level of success can feel like in the NBA. It's a point in the season that's the most demanding physically, and can prey on players who are not at full strength.
Though the Mavs have undergone dramatic changes since Lively's debut season, a generational talent in Cooper Flagg on the roster breeds the optimism that Dallas can return to that peak in the not-too-distant future. That's especially true for a young player in Lively who is thought to be a core piece of the next handful of years as Flagg enters his prime.
"I’m just waiting to see that my foot’s good," the Philadelphia native Lively said. "Even when it’s good, I’ve got to wait even more to make sure I don’t have to deal with this again. I’m never going to rush back. I’m never going to worry about that."
With a future-focused mindset, Lively also finds motivation in the skeptics that label him as "injury prone" at this early stage of his career.
Lively enters Year 4 with a potential new contract on the line and a lot to prove. He's shown flashes of what a modern, springing big man looks like in today's NBA. He feasts on pick-and-roll rim-runs, is an elite rim defender for his size, and has room to grow into his frame and develop more of an offensive game on the perimeter.
In his best season as a rookie, he had averages of 8.8 points on 74 percent shooting from the field. He's also averaging 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game over his career.
Lively knows there might be doubters, but he's leaning on his patience paying dividends and bringing him back to top form.
"If I’ve got to take what the fans or the public have to say about me, that I’m brittle or all that, cool," he said. "But whenever I come back, don’t forget who I am."
