Dallas Mavericks Rising Star Set To Miss The Remainder Of The Season

The Dallas Mavericks have been a team without luck since making the blockbuster Luka Doncic trade a season ago, and now, it appears as though that bad luck has continued to follow them. Not only did Kyrie Irving suffer an injury, but Anthony Davis has struggled to stay healthy too, and now, they've been dealt another brutal blow early in the 2025/26 season.

Early this season, third year center Dereck Lively has appeared in just 7 of the Mavericks 25 games, and unfortunately, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, his season is now officially over.

Lively has had issues with lingering discomfort in his right foot, and now, he's set to undergo surgery that will allow him a full recovery, but will mean he takes no further part in the 2025/26 campaign.

While Lively has shown immense potential early in his NBA career, averaging 8 points and 7 rebounds, he's also played in just 55, 36 and 7 games across three seasons. That's led to major question marks over whether or not the Mavericks can trust him as a key piece of their rotation going forward, even though he's proven to be a very solid player on both ends of the floor when healthy.

This is yet another blow to a Mavericks team that has struggled on and off the floor this season, and while Cooper Flagg has shown potential as the future face of the franchise, beyond that, these fans have had little to cheer about early in 2025/26.