Anthony Davis was supposed to change the direction of the Dallas Mavericks. Instead, his first calendar year in Dallas has turned into a constant loop of hope, interruption, and frustration that never quite resets.
Since arriving in Texas, Davis has suffered 18 separate injuries in less than a calendar year. That number alone is jarring. For a franchise centerpiece expected to anchor both ends of the floor, it has been devastating. Every time momentum starts to build, something pulls him back out of the lineup.
07-02-2025: Abdomen injury
08-02-2025: Adductor injury
25-03-2025: Thigh injury
28-03-2025: Groin strain
1-04-2025: Groin strain
03-04-2025: Adductor injury
08-04-2025: Groin strain
10-04-2025: Groin strain
12-04-2025: Adductor injury
17-04-2025: Groin strain
28-10-2025: Sore Achilles
29-10-2025: Leg contusion
11-11-2025: Calf strain
29-11-2025: Calf strain
14-14-2025: Calf Strain
19-12-2025: Illness
25-12-2025: Groin strain
08-01-2026: Hand injury
The latest setback may be the most alarming yet. A ligament injury in his left hand could require surgery and potentially sideline him for months. If that timeline holds, it becomes another lost stretch in a season that has already unraveled. There is no clean reset point anymore, only another pause.
The injury log tells the story better than any narrative. Groin strains. Adductor issues. Calf problems. A sore Achilles. A leg contusion. An illness. Now the hand injury. From February 2025 through January 2026, Davis has barely had the chance to regain rhythm before something else breaks the cycle. Several of those injuries have overlapped in the same areas, especially the groin and adductor, which raises uncomfortable questions about long-term durability and recovery management.
The result has been brutal. Davis has missed 42 games since becoming a Maverick while appearing in just 29 total games. This season alone, he has played only 20 times. That is nowhere close to what Dallas envisioned when they brought him in, hoping his presence would stabilize the defense and give them a reliable interior force.
When he is on the floor, nothing about the talent looks diminished. Davis is averaging 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks while shooting over 50 percent from the field. He still erases shots at the rim, still anchors defensive coverages, still tilts game plans the moment he steps onto the court. Even in his most recent appearance against Utah, before exiting with the hand injury, he put up 21 points and 11 rebounds. The ability has never been the problem.
Availability is.
This is not a new conversation with Davis, but it feels sharper in Dallas. As he moves deeper into his 30s, the margin for recovery keeps shrinking. Minor injuries linger. Soft-tissue issues resurface. Each absence makes it harder for the Mavericks to build continuity, rhythm, or identity. The team never knows which version of its season it is planning for.
The timing could not be worse. Dallas is hovering outside the playoff picture with a 14-24 record, stuck at 12th position in the Western Conference without a clear direction. A potential multi-month absence effectively freezes their options ahead of the February 5 trade deadline. Any team that might have explored a deal involving Davis is far less likely to gamble now, especially if his return date is uncertain.
The harsh truth is this. Anthony Davis is still a great player. That part is not debatable. But greatness only matters when it is available. Eighteen injuries in under a year is no longer a run of bad luck. It is a defining pattern.
For the Mavericks, the question has shifted. It is no longer about whether Davis can still play at an elite level. He can. The real question is whether they can afford to keep building around a player whose body has not allowed him to stay on the floor long enough to change where the franchise is headed.
