Michigan's Isaiah Livers undergoes surgery to repair foot; out at least 6 months

The Michigan basketball program announced that senior forward Isaiah Livers underwent surgery on his right foot on Friday.

The procedure was performed by Dr. David Porter at Methodist Sports Medicine Center in Carmel, Ind., and the recovery time is expected to be a minimum of six months.

An MRI revealed a stress fracture in Livers’ right foot following Michigan’s win over Maryland in the Big Ten tournament on March 12. Livers said he first began experiencing discomfort in his foot when the Wolverines faced the Terrapins in College Park on Dec. 31.

“I've had foot issues halfway through the season that I've been battling,” Livers said on March 13, the day after he received the diagnosis. “I've never had a stress fracture. I feel like I've been playing on it for like the last four to five (games) maybe. It wasn’t as bad as it was.

“It's not something that just happened one day. Obviously, a stress fracture is an injury that happens over time. It was something that I was battling, and we were rehabbing."

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Livers immediately began rehabbing, wore a walking boot and stayed with the team in Indianapolis throughout the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. However, the injury sidelined him the rest of the season, which ended with Tuesday’s Elite Eight loss to UCLA.

According to the program, Livers elected to have surgery after consulting with his family and medical professionals.

It's another brutal break for Livers, who was projected to be a mid-to-late second-round draft pick before Friday's announcement. Given the estimated recovery timetable, he won’t be able to go through any pre-draft workouts or participate in the draft combine ahead of the NBA Draft, which is scheduled for July 29.

However, Livers still has the option to return to Michigan for one more season, if he chooses. The NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to all Division I winter sport athletes because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Livers was having a career year before the late-season injury cut his senior campaign short. An All-Big Ten second-team selection, he averaged 13.1 points, six rebounds and two assists while shooting 43.1% from 3-point range — all career-best marks — in 23 games.

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @jamesbhawkins