With the Dallas Mavericks slowly adding bodies back in the lineup, they look to appear to at least relevant as they’re fighting for a potential playoff spot in the Play-In Tournament.
Since Anthony Davis has returned, he's provided the Mavs with some of the best performances that we've ever seen in Mavs history from a big man not named Dirk Nowitzki. Against Atlanta, and with a bandage on his eye, Davis made the game-winning shot and finished with 34 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks.
Davis feels very comfortable in his current role, telling reporters recently that he feels comfortable playing the four instead of the five. With Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford being younger, as well as not having the same kind of injury history as Davis, the three-headed monster that's taking the court in Dallas right now is working like a well-oiled machine, but they haven’t had the reinforcements to work with them.
While Davis remains in the lineup, a new concern rises as to how far the team can go in the playoffs considering he's not at 100 percent.
Davis not being fully healthy will negatively impact the Mavs
There's no doubt that this hasn't been the ideal season for the Mavericks, especially after the Luka Doncic trade and the various injuries that have haunted the Mavs all season long. Even with Dallas getting past the play-in, facing the Oklahoma City Thunder without Kyrie Irving will be a tall task.
While Davis is putting up some big perfrmaces, this is only setting up casual fans for heartbreak considering the team’s odds of making it out of the first round. He doesn’t have the help to win a playoff series, and Dallas’ playoff run will likely be over before it even begins.
Davis' performances will determine how the rest of the team plays, so with Davis not at 100 percent, it's going to be tough to ask for the other guys to put up strong offensive performances. Even though the guard depth for the Mavs has been strong all season long, it definitely took a tumble after Brandon Williams was no longer eligible, as he proved to be one of the lone bright spots to make up for the bigs being injured (even though they can explore signing him to their open roster spot this week).
The guard depth is simply not strong enough to compete in the play-in or the playoffs, so there's a lot riding on Davis to put up A+ performances. With Irving not around, putting the load on Davis while he's not at 100 percent is unfair to him. With injuries being one of the main storylines for the Mavs this season, perhaps it's just the basketball gods waiting to bless Dallas with a more healthier season for 2025-26.
If only Davis had taken it easy and waited more patiently to get back onto the court, things might be different. The fact of the matter is, this is the team Dallas has now, and if Davis has to carry the weight on his back until the end of the season, he will. It just won't be in the ideal circumstances that any Mavs fan was envisioning for him this season, unfortunately.
