The 2024-25 Dallas Mavericks season is one that fans won't ever forget. This season started off with having huge championship aspirations, as they were coming off a trip to the NBA Finals and got better over the offseason, then the season was deeply questioned when Luka Doncic got hurt on Christmas Day as he suffered a calf strain. Then, the unthinkable happened on a Saturday night when Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Although the Mavericks received Anthony Davis in the trade, Davis' Mavericks tenure has already gone bad regardless of how dominant he looked for three quarters. Davis was injured in his first Mavericks game as he suffered an adductor strain, and hasn't played since. The Davis trade is looking like it's on the way to going down in Mavericks infamy in an awful way.
Now issues have hit Mavericks All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving. Last night, Irving tore his ACL and will be out for the season. This Mavericks season continues to be one that's gone wrong on so many levels. Now with Irving out, the Davis injury actually might look worse for the Mavericks moving forward.
Davis might get shut down now that Irving is out for the season
Yes, Irving is done for the year to put serious jeopardy on the Mavericks' season, but the time to rush Davis back might not need to happen now. Davis rushed back from injury to make his Mavericks debut, and it backfired horribly. Not surprising to many people, Davis was hurt in his Mavericks debut. At this rate, it could be best for Davis to not play the remainder of the season.
He is set to get reevaluated on March 6, and while this day was originally looking like it could carry some optimism, it could hold the exact opposite now.
Shams Charania on ESPN today reported that Davis and his camp could potentially discuss shutting him down for the remainder of the season with Irving tearing his ACL. It actually could be for the better in the long run.
Although Davis would give the Mavericks a huge boost of offense and defense with Irving out, he would put himself in a position to get hurt yet again. If Davis was to get hurt again, it could impact him going into next season, and that's the last thing that the Mavericks would want.
Not playing the remainder of the season with Irving to get rest is something Davis and his camp must take into consideration. At 31 years old, Davis has been injured multiple times in his career. At some point, Davis' body will have to be taken care of in a serious matter. The best time has arrived for Davis to just rest and prepare for next season in Dallas.
If Davis was to sit out the remainder of the season, it could offer important minutes to let Olivier-Maxence Prosper grow his game more in his second season in the NBA. He has been in the rotation more recently, and with all of the recent injuries, he should see his role increase even more. The same goes for P.J. Washington once he returns from a right ankle sprain, as he has taken a major jump this season.
With Irving out, most expect the worst to come for the Mavericks and rightfully so. It could be safe for many to just chalk up the 2024-25 Mavericks season as one that needs to be forgotten. This season sure has felt like a curse with everything that went on from October to March.
A thought that some might have is there's no way Davis only wants to play just one game for the Mavericks this season, but regardless of what he wants, Charania definitely believes it's a possibility.
"It's not out of the realm of possibility that one game was the last time we've seen Anthony Davis this season," Charania said.
While shutting down Davis for the remainder of the season may be the smart choice to make, it would officially close this season, and Dallas would likely end up in the lottery one year after making the NBA Finals.
