In a recent radio appearance, Dallas Mavericks general manager Mike Schmitz was careful to not put a timeline on when Dereck Lively II would return to play. But Schmitz expressed optimism in how hard Lively is working to get back on the floor for the Mavs.

"D-Live has been working his tail off. He's in the facility constantly, completely locked into everything we're doing and doing everything in his power to be his best self," Schmitz said. "Really, really proud of just the approach he's taken and his mentality, his voice. He's young, but he's got a presence to him. Just having him in our facility every day and working his tail off to get to 100 percent is something that we feel every day."

Lively underwent three different surgical procedures on his right foot in one calendar year. When Dallas shut him down for the season last December, they said they expected Lively to be ready for training camp. In June, the Mavericks said Lively was progressing through the rehab process. The center himself gave an update later that month about going from using a scooter to walking again without a boot.

Schmitz added that Lively will continue to work to be ready for training camp at the end of September.

"He's doing everything in his power, and we're just really proud of the progress he's made and continuing to chip away at everything as we get closer to the start of camp," Schmitz said.