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The Dallas Mavericks announced Wednesday morning that big man Dereck Lively II will undergo season-ending foot surgery. The 12th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft played just seven games this season due to the foot injury. He will now sit out the remainder of the season.

The Mavericks said Lively is expected to be available for the start of training camp next season, but this will now be the second consecutive season in which the Duke product needed foot surgery. Lively suffered a fracture on the same foot last season, and underwent offseason surgery to fix the problem. It's an unfortunate situation for Lively, who even in the wake of the Luka Doncic trade, was still proving to be an impactful player, especially on the defensive end. It's a small sample size of just seven games, but the Mavericks defense was allowing 11 fewer points when he was on the floor compared to when he sat, indicative of his rim-protecting prowess.

"Dereck has handled every challenge of this season with professionalism and resilience," Mavericks co-interim general manager Matt Riccardi said in a statement. "While this is a setback, we're confident in his long-term future and will support him fully through his recovery."

Lively's offensive game wasn't as utilized early in the season, but that's more a product of Dallas not having a quality starting point guard to run pick-and-rolls with Lively. He would've been a seamless fit with Kyrie Irving when he returned, but now that's not going to be the case. 

Looking beyond this year, the Mavericks have to hope that these past two injury-riddled seasons for Lively don't become the norm over the course of his career. He's been viewed as a foundational piece, but foot injuries are kryptonite for big men, and Lively's greatest strength is his athleticism. If foot injuries persist, it could change the trajectory of his career.

For the Mavericks, they have Daniel Gafford, but he too has been banged up with a heavy workload because of Lively's absence. This also means Anthony Davis will have to play more minutes at center over his preferred position of power forward, too. Despite Davis' desire to play power forward, in the last six games when he's been the lone starting big man, the Mavericks played considerably better.

Over that span, the Mavericks went 4-2 and have the eighth-best offensive rating. The spacing is far better when Davis is the only big man roaming around the paint, and it also opens up far more opportunity for Cooper Flagg, who can attack the rim and operate in the mid range.