Dereck Lively II, the best center on the Mavericks, is now out for at least a month — and likely longer — with a right ankle stress fracture, the team announced.
This is a big blow to a Mavericks team that has gone 4-10 since Luka Doncic went out with calf strain, with the 26th-ranked offense in the league during that stretch (Kyrie Irving missed a number of games in there, too, due to a bulging disc in his back he is trying to play through).
The Mavericks have outscored opponents by 8.1 points per 100 possessions when Lively is on the court this season, with him averaging 9.1 points and 7.8 rebounds a game. More importantly, Lively is Dallas’ best defensive big man. He is long and active, can protect the rim or switch out on the perimeter. They will not be the same without him.
Lively’s injury means Daniel Gafford is off the trade market. Gafford has averaged 12.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks a game, and has essentially split time with Lively at the five (Dallas has just been much better in Lively’s minutes).
