Dereck Lively II is expected to be ready for the Mavericks‘ training camp following off-season foot surgery, writes Grant Afseth for Dallas Hoops Journal.
Lively underwent a procedure aimed at cleaning up bone spurs in his right foot in July, which initially required a walking boot. This followed a diagnosis of a stress fracture in the same foot in January. Previous reports indicate that the handling of Lively’s foot injury had led to a confrontation between the director of health and performance, Johann Bilsborough, and the athletic performance director, Keith Belton.
Said injuries limited Lively to 36 games last season, during which time he averaged 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 blocks in 23.1 minutes per night.
Yesterday, the Mavs posted a video of Lively working out in Philadelphia, where he has been working out with head video coordinator Riley Crean.
In addition to his rehabilitation, Lively has spent a large part of the offseason in communication with new Maverick Cooper Flagg, giving him advice and helping him get acclimated to the NBA world.