Anthony Davis‘ Dallas Mavericks debut against the Houston Rockets on Saturday got off to the best possible start but ended in disappointment, as he exited with a non-contact injury. Davis has now been ruled out indefinitely due to a left adductor strain and some doctors have given insight into his status on X.
Jesse Morse, M.D. stated this is an injury that is slow to heal. He initially reckoned Davis had suffered a grade 1 or grade 2 strain and was likely to be out for close to four weeks.
“Anthony Davis, former Laker now Maverick, is likely a grade 1 groin (adductor) strain, possibly closer to a grade 2. The adductor muscle/tendon is notorious for slow healing due to poor blood supply. Therefore it is very commonly reinjured. 2 weeks at the minimum, likely closer to 4 weeks if it’s anything more than mild.”
That’s not good news, but the situation could end up being even worse. Dr. Evan Jeffries, JPT, is concerned that this strain could potentially turn into a sports hernia as it comes on the back of an abdominal injury.
“Less than TWO weeks ago Anthony Davis suffered an abdominal injury
-Got traded to the Mavs
Returned too early and suffered what the Mavs are calling an ‘adductor strain’
Abdominal strain to adductor strain equals possible ‘Sports Hernia.'”
There has been no indication as such that the Mavericks had rushed Davis back from that abdominal strain he suffered against the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 28. The 31-year-old was out for over a week but perhaps he should have taken some more time off.
Jeffries isn’t the only one who thinks this could be a sports hernia. When Morse later found out Davis had previously suffered an abdominal strain, he too came to the same conclusion. He also stated that season-ending surgery might be on the cards.
“Sounds like this may have been a reinjury to Anthony Davis’ injury. As a result it may be a ‘sports hernia’ injury. The Mavericks would have been very aware of this injury when they were completing his physical exam for the trade. Now he’s very likely to require season-ending surgery (likely by Dr. Williams Meyers in Philadelphia, who is the expert at these).”
The fact that the Mavericks would have been aware of this indicates they didn’t believe it was a massive red flag, the way the Los Angeles Lakers felt when they conducted Mark Williams’ physical. The Lakers rescinded the Williams trade as a result but the Mavericks decided against going that route.
On the topic of surgery, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Mavericks will hold discussions on Monday to see if it can be avoided. The fact that it is being discussed leads Jeff Stotts, certified athletic trainer, MAT, PES, and CES, to believe this is a core muscle injury.
“Sent this out days before the trade. With surgery being discussed as a possible option, it’s seems more and more likely AD has a core muscle injury (CMI). Surgery comes with a high success rate but would likely end his season.”
Brian Sutterer, MD had previously stated this could be a core muscle injury after seeing how Davis went down. He brought up sports hernia as well when discussing the subject.
“That side-to-side movement where he’s backpedaling, his right leg is going out, his left leg is out,” Sutterer said. “His legs are in that abducted position which is going to put your groin muscles in a stretched position while you’re trying to shuffle to the side and it’s going to also load the adductors, the groin muscles. And those groin muscles insert in the front of the pelvis, near where you can have what we consider a sports hernia or a core muscle injury.”
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Sutterer also stated that he wouldn’t be shocked if Davis undergoes surgery. The fact that multiple medical professionals are pointing to sports hernia and surgery is far from ideal. We’ll find out soon enough what exactly is wrong with the nine-time All-Star.
What is so disappointing about this latest injury is that Davis was playing ever so well on his debut. He had put up 26 points (10-18 FG), 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks in 31 minutes against the Rockets and had given Mavericks fans a reason to smile after days of anguish following the Luka Doncic trade.
There appears to be a real possibility now that the game against the Rockets will be the only time we see Davis suit up for his new team this season. If he does indeed miss the rest of the campaign, the 28-25 Mavericks are almost certainly missing the playoffs.
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