Dereck Lively II Receives Update on Fractured Ankle

Dallas Mavericks center and Philadelphia native Dereck Lively II will miss at least a month with a stress fracture in his right ankle, according to a team report.

Lively last appeared in a game on Tuesday, Jan. 14, playing just four minutes before suffering the injury. Initial reports indicated that he could miss as much as two to three months because of the injury: the updated timeline the Mavericks issued on Jan. 22 indicated they’ll reevaluate him in four weeks, potentially meaning his recovery could take a smoother path than originally feared.

Born in Philadelphia, Lively attended the nearby Westtown School in West Chester, Pa., where he was a teammate of Villanova walk-on guard Wade Chiddick and made himself into the No. 2 prospect in the class of 2022. A 7-foot-1 presence in the low post, Lively attended Duke for one year before declaring for the NBA Draft as an eventual first round pick. He helped Dallas reach the NBA Finals in 2024, starting 42 of his 55 games played and averaging 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

This season he’s putting up 9.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 2.6 assists per game, doing a bit of everything and showing an uncommon degree of versatility for a big man.

The Mavericks currently hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference, so if the postseason began today they’d need to make their way through the play-in tournament in order to qualify for the playoffs proper. Dereck Lively’s availability (or lack thereof) could play a big role in Dallas’ ability to make the postseason, especially as they deal with a rash of injuries: three of their four big men are currently injured.