04-04-2024, 08:55 AM
(04-03-2024, 10:29 PM)SleepingHero Wrote: But yeah, Lively's durability is a concern.
I may be naive/optimistic here, but I don't think his durability is a true concern, or at least not yet. Lively is still a rookie center, hustling and banging around with veteran NBA centers all year. I would assume by this time next year, and definitely by the end of his rookie contract he will have bulked into a more durable NBA body.
I am hoping this exact knee sprain issue is just the Mavs being extra cautious, and giving the rookie a chance to be fresh for the playoffs.
It's great to have a player that is good enough to have us have super high expectations for him (including durability), but it's even better that Lively beats our expectations 90% of the time (this seems to be one of the few cases the kid let's us down, even if it's only slightly).