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The Dallas Mavericks are still trying to figure out what to do with the future of the organization. They have a mixture of young talent and veteran players who want to win now.
Dallas has some good talent on the roster, but the team still hasn’t filled the hole left by losing Luka Doncic. One of Doncic’s favorite lob threats, Dereck Lively II, has been named as a breakout candidate.
“It feels like we've known about Dereck Lively II for a long time, as the 22-year-old center was a key piece of the Dallas Mavericks' run to the 2024 NBA Finals,” Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz wrote. “If he can make a full recovery before the start of the season (there's been no official report yet), Lively has elite rim protection potential at 7'1" and should become a favorite lob target of Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving.”
Lively has already shown that he can be a force in the paint and around the rim. The only issue is that he can’t seem to get his foot healthy.
“After playing a key role as a rookie in the Mavericks' run to the 2024 NBA Finals, Lively's promising career has been derailed by recurring problems with his right foot, which has been surgically repaired twice in the past 14 months,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon wrote.
Kyrie Irving could develop good chemistry with Lively once he gets healthy. MacMahon also reported that Lively will be inactive during training camp.
“Dereck Lively II (foot) has not been cleared for training camp, per Tim MacMahon. Lively hasn't suffered any setbacks and is slowly ramping up to begin basketball activity.”
It is unclear if Lively will miss the entirety of training camp. Obviously, the hope is to have him back at some point. Right now, with no positive update in sight, even the start of the regular season seems somewhat far-fetched.
Lively is currently on his $22 million rookie contract. When fully healthy, Lively is a scary presence who can consistently run to the rim and finish above the basket. That is the player Dallas wants back, but the Mavericks will have to allow him the proper time to get back to 100%. This will be something to monitor throughout training camp.
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