Dereck Lively II’s recovery has been anything but straightforward. A brief viral clip of the Mavericks center quickly drew attention after some fans interpreted his movement as a sign that he was still struggling physically. With Dallas already taking a careful approach to his comeback, the footage raised even more questions about where he stands. But the 22-year-old has now addressed those concerns himself.
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“I’m sick of seeing things on the internet, thinking that like I can’t run, I can’t jump, which I can and which I’ve been doing,” Lively said in a short interview with Locked On Mavs. “I’m thankful for the Mavs to just let me take my time and be slow, making sure I’m doing everything that I need to do to make sure my body will never have to worry about anything ever again.”
He added that he has been listening to Dallas’ doctors and following the team’s instructions during his recovery. Dereck Lively also addressed another piece of footage that fueled some of the online discussion back in June. Explaining that he had simply stood up from a short chair at a community event.
“It was like I stood up out of a short chair, and they took it for way more than one. My shorts were way too high.” The Mavs star even called the entire discourse regarding his injury “ridiculous.”
That explanation comes at an important point in Dereck Lively’s recovery. His return remains uncertain, even though the center insists he can run and jump. It was last Wednesday ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that the Mavs star had not been cleared for training camp and was still recovering from his December surgery. MacMahon also noted that Lively had suffered no setback and was gradually working toward basketball activity.
The distinction matters. Dereck Lively’s current situation is not the same as being unable to move athletically. Instead, Dallas appears to be taking a cautious approach with a player who has already endured a complicated recovery. His injury troubles began well before his surgeries.
He hurt his right ankle against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 14, 2025, and the Mavericks initially diagnosed him with a sprain. Further testing later revealed a stress fracture, forcing him to begin a much longer recovery. The injury kept Dereck Lively out for 77 days. He finally returned on April 2 against the Atlanta Hawks, playing 16 minutes in his first game back. But his foot problems did not end there.
The Mavs star underwent surgery on his right foot in July 2025 before needing another procedure on Dec. 21. The second surgery ended his 2025-26 season after just seven appearances. His initial recovery plan had pointed toward a return for training camp, but the timeline stretched considerably longer. That patience has been reinforced by a veteran teammate who faced injury trouble of his own.
“He’s told me that, ‘No matter how long it takes, just sit back, make sure you’re doing the right things.’” Dereck Lively pointed to Kyrie Irving as a major source of guidance throughout the process. Irving suffered a torn ACL in March 2025 and missed the following season, focusing on 100% recovery rather than rushing the timeline.
“’Make sure you listen to your body, make sure you listen to the doctors, because I don’t ever wanna be dealing with this again’. So I’m making sure that I’m doing everything that I can to make sure I’m putting one foot in front of the other across the finish line.”
The Mavericks have every reason to be careful with a 22-year-old center who has already endured a complicated recovery. That history also explains why the latest video generated so much attention. Dereck Lively has been productive whenever he has been available, but availability has become the biggest question surrounding his young career.
The No. 12 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft played 55 games as a rookie, then appeared in 36 games during his second season before being limited to seven last year. Overall, he has played just 98 of a possible 246 regular-season games since entering the league. But he is the same player who was an important part of Dallas’ frontcourt that helped the Mavericks reach the 2024 NBA Finals.
Now, the priority is getting that version of Dereck Lively back without creating another setback.