Player Bio
| HT/WT: 7-1, 230 lbs |
| Birthplace: Philadelphia, PA |
| Age: 22 |
| School: Duke |
| Experience: 3 |
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1:46Morez Johnson Jr. Follows HC Dusty May to Dallas
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1:53NBA Draft Big Men: True Fives
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1:49Dallas Mavericks Plan in the Draft
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0:36Should the Mavericks Explore a Kyrie Irving Trade?
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1:57Best Prospect to Pair with Mavericks' Cooper Flagg
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8:13Breaking News: Klay Thompson To Sign With Miami Heat
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1:40John Gonzalez' Top 5 Starting Fives in the NBA: No. 1 New York Knicks
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0:58Michigan's Repeat Bid Without Dusty May
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1:16Dusty May Leaves Michigan to Become Mavs HC
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4:49Thunder Trade Lu Dort to Hawks in 3-Team Deal
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0:35Breaking: Thunder Trade Lu Dort to Hawks in 3-Team Deal
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1:09Expectations for Cameron Boozer with the Grizzlies
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1:39Summer League Preview: Lendeborg vs Johnson Jr.
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0:46Morez Johnson Jr. is the Michigan Man to Watch
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16:16Ranking LeBron James' Landing Spots Based on Rich Paul's Whiteboard
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1:17Pressure on Luka Doncic in Post-LeBron Lakers Era
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1:26How the Jaylen Brown Trade Compares To Others In Years Past
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2:42Why LeBron to the Spurs Isn't as Crazy as It Sounds
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1:10Hornets: What's the Post-LaMelo Ball Plan?
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9:45Biggest Questions for the NBA's Western Conference
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2025 Stats
| STATS |
MPG
Minutes Per Game
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PPG
Points Per Game
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FG%
Field Goal Percentage
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RPG
Rebounds Per Game
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APG
Assists Per Game
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 16.4 | 4.3 | 61.1 | 5.3 | 1.9 |
Top Dereck Lively II News
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Dallas will be patient with him
Mavericks president Masai Ujiri said Friday that Lively (foot) is "making good progress" in his recovery, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Ujiri noted that Lively has progressed to shooting and is working toward running on the court, though Dallas intends to remain patient with the 22-year-old. Lively underwent right foot surgery in December after appearing in just seven regular-season games in 2025-26, averaging 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 blocks in 16.4 minutes per game. He has yet to be cleared for training camp, and his status for the beginning of the regular season remains uncertain.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Not yet cleared for training camp
Lively (foot) has not been cleared to participate in training camp yet and is slowly ramping up to begin basketball activity, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports.
Lively underwent right foot surgery in December after appearing in just seven regular-season games (four starts), during which he averaged 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.6 blocks and 0.6 steals across 16.4 minutes per contest. MacMahon notes that Lively has not suffered a setback. However, the big man is still in jeopardy of missing time to begin the 2026-27 regular season, and it wouldn't be surprising if he operates under a heavy minutes restriction upon his return. If the 22-year-old misses an extended period, Daniel Gafford, Santi Aldama (knee) and Morez Johnson would be candidates for increased burn.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Not ready to resume running
Lively (foot) still hasn't progressed to running yet, per Christian Clark of The Athletic.
Lively is walking and lifting weights, though he's not quite ready to enter the next phase of his rehab. The 22-year-old big man is recovering from right foot surgery, which cut his season short in December of last year, and it remains uncertain if he'll be a full participant in training camp this fall. The Mavericks did take Morez Johnson with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to improve their frontcourt, but Lively remains the most likely candidate to open next season as Dallas' starting center.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Position on depth chart in jeopardy
Lively (foot) faces increased competition for minutes heading into the 2026-27 campaign, especially with the Mavericks selecting Morez Johnson with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Lively hasn't lived up to expectations through his first three seasons in the NBA. Although the 22-year-old is a talented player, the real concern is his durability. After appearing in 55 games as a rookie, Lively played in 36 contests in his second year. However, things were worse in the 2025-26 campaign, with the 2023 No. 12 overall pick suiting up for only seven games before eventually undergoing season-ending foot surgery. Dallas has plenty of big bodies entering the season, though it's unknown how head coach Dusty May will divide the workload. One thing is clear; time is running out for Lively to prove he can stay healthy. In fact, it may already be too late. With that in mind, Johnson isn't a true center, but even if the former Wolverine plays the position in a limited capacity for the Mavericks in 2026-27, he might surpass Lively on the depth chart sooner rather than later.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Undergoes surgery on right foot
Lively successfully underwent surgery on his right foot Sunday.
Lively sought out multiple opinions on his right foot, but it was ultimately determined that season-ending surgery was the best course of action for the third-year center, and he's expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2026-27 season. Daniel Gafford and Dwight Powell will continue to serve as the main big men for Dallas behind Anthony Davis in Lively's absence.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Set for season-ending surgery
Lively is slated to undergo season-ending surgery in the coming days to address lingering discomfort in his right foot, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Lively sought multiple opinions on his foot since suffering a setback in his last appearance Nov. 21, but doctors determined that surgery was the best course of action. The 21-year-old is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2026-27 season. He made just seven appearances during his third NBA season, posting averages of 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 blocks in 16.4 minutes per contest. Daniel Gafford is likely to have a higher minutes floor for the rest of the season with Lively out of the mix, and Moussa Cisse and Dwight Powell could continue to see more opportunities in backup roles.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Considered out indefinitely
The Mavericks announced Thursday that Lively (foot) has no timetable for a return, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Lively is getting multiple opinions regarding the swelling and discomfort in his right foot. It sounds like the third-year center can be labeled as week-to-week until the next steps in his recovery are determined. Dallas should continue to lean on Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford (ankle) for the center minutes.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Still out
Lively (foot) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Heat.
Lively will miss his sixth consecutive contest due to a right foot injury, and he can be considered doubtful ahead of Friday's game against the Thunder. With the third-year center remaining on the shelf, Daniel Gafford (ankle) should continue to see increased run if he's cleared to play.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: To miss at least three games
Lively (foot) will miss the next three games and will be re-evaluated in seven-to-ten days, the Mavericks announced Tuesday.
This follows up a previous report from NBA reporter Marc Stein that indicated the Mavericks were fearful of the center missing extended time. Lively is currently being evaluated for swelling and discomfort in his right foot, and that's notable since it's the same foot he had offseason surgery on. This means Lively will be sidelined through Dec. 1, with an earliest possible return date of Dec. 3 against the Heat. Fantasy managers should brace for a longer absence, however. In the meantime, Daniel Gafford is likely to see a bump in fantasy appeal.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Could miss extended time
According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, it is feared that the Mavericks could face an extended injury absence for Lively (foot).
Lively missed Monday's game against Miami for right foot injury management, but he may be dealing with something more severe based on this report. Lively has appeared in just seven games thus far after offseason foot surgery, and the center can't seem to stay on the floor. Fantasy managers will need to sit tight until more clarity is known.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Ruled out for Monday
Lively (foot) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Heat.
Lively will miss Monday's contest due to right foot injury management, marking his second consecutive absence. With the third-year center sidelined, Moussa Cisse and Dwight Powell are candidates for increased minutes behind Daniel Gafford.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Won't play Saturday
Lively (knee/rest) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Grizzlies.
As expected, Lively will take a seat for the second half of Dallas' back-to-back set after posting four points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 18 minutes off the bench during Friday's win over the Pelicans. In his absence, Daniel Gafford should start at center, with Moussa Cisse carving out a larger role in the frontcourt.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Ruled out Friday
Lively is out for Friday's game against the Pelicans due to a right knee sprain.
Lively is a late addition to the injury report, and the big man won't be an option Friday, thinning the team's depth in a frontcourt that was already missing Anthony Davis (calf). Daniel Gafford is expected to see an uptick in minutes with Lively out.
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