The Dallas Mavericks' injury curse for the 2024-25 season has been like something no one has ever seen before, and it has included multiple players going down with season-ending injuries within the last month.
Kyrie Irving tore his ACL, Dante Exum broke a bone in his hand, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper had to have wrist surgery, with all injuries throwing a major wrench into Dallas' plans of pursuing a title this year. All of these injuries have significantly impacted the Mavs' play, as they couldn't gain any momentum and went on multiple losing streaks, but they finally got some reinforcements in last night's win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Anthony Davis returned after missing over a month and a half with an adductor strain, and he couldn't wait to get back on the floor. Davis finished with 12 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block in 27 minutes, and his return from injury this time around looked much different from his Mavs debut.
Kidd's conservative approach to Davis' return must continue
Davis had a 28-minute restriction last night, considering he had missed the last 18 games, and even though Jason Kidd knew that he was eager to play again, he made sure to ease him back into things. This is a major difference from Davis' Mavs debut against the Houston Rockets, as he was seemingly not on a minutes restriction. Kidd joked that his minutes restriction would be 36-38 minutes, even though Davis had been out for over a week with an abdominal injury, and he ended up injuring himself in the third quarter of that game.
Kidd's approach to Davis' return from injury this time around was much more cautious, and this is likely something that will continue into the future. The Mavericks can't risk Davis getting injured again, regardless of how excited he is to get back on the floor, as him rushing back to the floor for his Mavs debut could have been what led to him suffering an adductor strain.
Davis had heard all of the outside noise about the trade that sent him to the Mavericks, and he was determined to show Mavs fans that he could lead the team and put on a show just like Luka Doncic did. This led to him playing a little bit quicker than he should have, and the rest is history as he strained his adductor in his Mavs debut on February 8 and didn't play again until March 24.
Regardless of how Mavs fans feel about Davis returning this season and the risk that comes along with it, Davis must be commended for his warrior mindset and always wanting to play, even when injured. This is similar to the way Doncic approached the game as well, and Davis is motivated to show the city that he's back now, and the season isn't over.
Dallas' next game is tonight against the New York Knicks, and we'll have you covered with all the latest.
