DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks have announced that center Dereck Lively II has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right ankle, leading to a re-evaluation scheduled for one month from now.

This injury, revealed on Wednesday, marks another unfortunate occurrence for the 20-year-old player, who has faced several injury challenges over the course of both his NBA seasons.

Lively has already missed the last three games due to what the team initially classified as a right ankle sprain, bringing his total missed games this season to 11 due to various health concerns.

In his rookie year of 2023-24, the former Duke standout was restricted to just 55 games due to injuries, yet he played a significant role in helping the Mavericks reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011.

The prospect of Lively’s prolonged absence is compounded by the ongoing recovery of superstar Luka Doncic, who is likely still several weeks away from returning following a left calf strain that has kept him out of 13 games already.

“Next man up,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd before Wednesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. “That’s why you have a team. We’ve been through this before.”

In addition to Lively, the Mavericks listed four other players as unavailable on Wednesday, which includes starting guard Klay Thompson, who is dealing with a left ankle sprain.

The defending Western Conference champs entered their game versus the Timberwolves sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference standings.

“We’re not focusing on the standings. We’re just trying to determine who can suit up,” Kidd added.

When Lively has been healthy, he has demonstrated significant potential, averaging 8.9 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting an impressive 73% from the field across 87 games over his short career.

He has been sharing starter duties with teammate Daniel Gafford, who is currently averaging 12.1 points and 6.2 rebounds in 41 games this season.