Flagg’s out to play. 31/4 shooting 1-of-2 half the time and 37.5% from deep against Dylan Harper and the Spurs? Did Nico Harrison actually manifest a perfect Luka Doncic regen? It seems so. But that comes with it’s burden of responsibility. If they’re to maximize the Cooper Flagg hype, their backup has to be rock solid. At least worthy enough until Kyrie Irving’s return. So the Summer League is exactly what they need to experiment the batch before the NBA kicks off in October. Well, that was until one element hit a stopgap – namely Dereck Lively II.
The only real knock on the former Duke standout? Availability. Dereck Lively II’s played just 91 games over the past two seasons — and that’s the whole problem. A nagging foot injury kept him out for more than half of the 2024-25 campaign. He did manage a short return late in the year, but let’s be honest — it was a lost sophomore season. It gets better though. We’ll finally get a cleaned and patched Dereck into a Mavs team with an outside shot at championship contention.
“Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II has undergone surgery to clean up bone spurs in his right foot, sources tell ESPN. He is expected to be healthy for training camp,” said Shams Charania on X.
Jun 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) reacts in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics during game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
This is a developing story…
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