Anthony Davis made waves in his Dallas Mavericks debut, but it may be the last we see of him this season. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the All-Star big man is now discussing the possibility of holding off his return to preserve what’s left of his durability.
“Anthony Davis has been out since the opener, the first game he played,” said Shams on the Pat McAfee Show. “I think him, his representatives, I think they’re gonna huddle up, I think they are gonna have some very hard conversations. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that one game was the last time we’ve seen Anthony Davis this season.”
It’s been a season of hell for the Mavericks, and the bleeding hasn’t stopped. This team began the season with ambitions to win the title but now they are 10th in the West (32-30) after splitting their last 10 games. Fans are pissed with the state of the team, but there’s nothing more that can be done this season.
The first domino to fall was the Luka Doncic trade back in February, which shocked the NBA world. Now, with Davis and Irving going down, the Mavericks are down two stars and the outlook for this campaign is looking increasingly grim.
Anthony Davis, 31, made a statement in his Mavericks debut with 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks. Sadly, he only played 31 minutes before suffering his latest injury: a left adductor strain. The Mavericks announced on February 20 that Davis would be re-evaluated in two weeks.
That was before the injury to Kyrie Irving. Since trading Doncic, Irving is more important than ever for the Mavericks and he was carrying a heavy load with averages of 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game on 47.3% shooting this season.
After going down in Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings, Irving is set to miss the season with a torn ACL and he may never be the same again at 32 years old. It’s a massive blow for the Mavs and a terrible development for GM Nico Harrison, who has quickly become the most hated man in Dallas.
At this point, the Mavericks have two options when it comes to Davis. If he returns this month, he’d be able to carry the team to the play-in tournament where they’d battle for a first-round matchup against the Thunder, Nuggets, or Lakers. Their chances of winning the series would be slim, at best.
If the Mavericks are wise, they would just rest Davis and shut him down for the sake of their future title pursuits. As much as the franchise wants to compete this season, and validate the Doncic trade, they need Davis at his best to have a chance against the NBA’s elite teams.
Davis came to the Mavericks ready to play with nothing held back — but with the recent turn of events, and his extensive injury history, you could argue that he’s better off playing it safe. With Davis turning 32 in a week, Dallas must take a cautious approach with his health to prolong his prime as much as possible.
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