Trade & FA 2024-25:

[KillerLeft]

I think penciling Lively in at 30 minutes per in year 3, after missing significant time in year 2, is a stretch, so I agree with Smitty there. On a team with AD, that's not going to happen anyway.

But, I also think it's way, way, WAY too early to just decide that Lively has "injury issues." It doesn't seem like people understand that for some of these kids, half the battle is figuring out how to get their body through the grueling NBA season. That's not just a matter of genetics, or size, or whatever, as in it's not something that's always completely out of their control. In fact, I'd say more often than not, durability is squarely IN their control, and is a matter of how professionally they build themselves and prepare for the season. This is something that's learned over time for many players.

Dude is like 21? He missed a little time in his rookie season, playing more than he ever had in his life (and in extremely high-leverage situations) and then had a signifiant injury during a season in which almost EVERY Mav got hurt for an extended period of time. He might end up being injury prone, but I'm nowhere near the point of living in fear of that. He has given every indication of being a serious person willing to do whatever it takes to help his team and be the best player he can be, and for me, that includes some faith that he'll do what it takes to give himself the best chance of staying healthy. The bigger worry, I think, is about whatever was wrong with the training/medical staff last year that clearly affected that season, and whether or not those issues get solved quickly.