Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II is making progress in his recovery from right foot surgery, the second-year big man confirmed this week, saying he has progressed from a scooter to a cane as he works toward a return for the 2026-27 season.
“I went from being on a scooter, two crutches, and now I can walk around with a cane,” Lively said. “So I’m definitely getting there. Making sure I don’t rush myself, taking it real slow, and making sure that the scans are gonna give me the advice on what I should do. Not how I feel.”
Dereck Lively II’s Season Derailed Early
Lively played just seven games this season before the Mavericks shut him down. The foot issue had lingered, complicated by a knee sprain earlier in the year, and after seeking multiple medical opinions, the organization and its doctors determined surgery was the best path forward.
The procedure was performed by Dr. James Calder in London in December, and the Mavericks announced at the time that Lively was expected to make a full recovery.
The timeline carries added weight because this is the second straight offseason in which the same foot has required a procedure. Lively had surgery prior to this season to remove bone spurs, and the recurring nature of the issue has understandably drawn scrutiny.
What His Return Would Mean for the Dallas Mavericks
When healthy, Lively has been one of the more promising young centers in the league. He shot 72.5% from the field over his first two seasons, providing elite rim protection and a lob threat. In 55 games as a rookie in 2023-24, he averaged 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while earning a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team.
This season, the fit around him had already become complicated before the foot shut him down entirely. The Mavericks opened the season with Anthony Davis in the frontcourt alongside Lively, and the double-big pairing created real spacing problems.
Davis, often used in post-up and isolation situations, pushed Lively into the dunker’s spot for extended stretches and limited his ability to finish plays. The pairing was not particularly effective, and it was becoming clear that Davis was the more viable center option for the roster as constructed — a dynamic that would have required the Mavericks to rethink how they deployed Lively regardless of his health.
With Davis gone and the roster now built around Cooper Flagg, Lively returns to a situation where he can be an unquestioned interior presence without those fit complications working against him.
In his limited seven-game sample this season, he averaged 4.3 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 61.1% from the field before the injury ended his year. The Mavericks have had to piece together their frontcourt with Daniel Gafford, Dwight Powell and Marvin Bagley III shouldering the load, and Dallas ranks among the league’s worst teams defensively at the rim without a true anchor in the paint.
The Road Ahead for Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks have maintained that Lively is expected to be ready for training camp ahead of the 2026-27 season. His approach suggests the recovery is trending in the right direction, even if the pace is deliberate.
For a franchise that figures to be retooling around Flagg this offseason, getting Lively back healthy and available figures to be one of the more important developments of the summer.
For now, Lively is doing what he can — walking with a cane, letting the scans lead the way, and not letting how he feels get ahead of what the medicine is telling him.
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