The Dallas Mavericks are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now. They have won seven games in a row as they prepare for Tuesday's clash against the Golden State Warriors. Rookie Dereck Lively II is dealing with an injury concern, however.
Lively has impressed in his rookie season with Dallas. Stars Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren have drawn most of the attention in the NBA Rookie of the Year race, but Lively has still impressed. Dallas needed a reliable big man who could help on the boards and with protecting the rim, and Lively filled that void early in the season.
He's continued to perform well for the most part, but the Mavs gave him more help with the team's trade deadline acquisition of big man Daniel Gafford from the Washington Wizards. Gafford has played a pivotal role since the deal came to fruition.
The Mavs now feature one of the better center duos in the NBA between Gafford and Lively. However, is Dereck Lively II playing tonight vs. the Warriors?
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Mavericks: Dereck Lively II's injury status vs. Warriors
Lively was initially listed as questionable due to right knee soreness, per the NBA Injury Report. Unfortunately, the team eventually ruled him out for the game.
The Mavericks certainly don't want to risk further injury by rushing the rookie center back too quickly, especially this close to the playoffs.
The good news is that Mavs star Luka Doncic, who has been listed on the injury report fairly consistently in recent action, is not on Tuesday's injury report. Dallas is getting mostly healthy at the right time.
Lively, 20, is averaging 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game during the 2023-24 season. Again, he's enjoyed a strong first year in the NBA.
The primary goal is to of course win an NBA championship. But Lively previously revealed his individual goals with the season winding down.
“Just expand my game, just got to become a better player,” Lively said. “Try to be able to be more comfortable when I put the ball on the ground, shooting, when it comes to just defensive aspects. Just try to learn when it comes to the game. There's a lot of things that I haven't learned. There's a lot of things I'm learning. Just trying to be able to perfect those and master those.”
Lively features immense potential. He's still developing as an NBA player. It is easy to forget that he is still only 20 years old. The final stretch run of the season and postseason games will prove to be important challenges for Lively. He has displayed confidence in 2023-24 and should be able to deal with the pressure.
For now, though, when it comes to the question of if Dereck Lively II is playing tonight vs. the Warriors, the answer is NO.
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