After trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last season, the Dallas Mavericks seemed to think that they had opened up a championship window on the backs of Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.
Soon after the trade, Irving would tear his ACL and be sidelined at least until early 2026, and nagging injuries held Davis to only nine appearances last season, causing the Mavericks to lose in the play-in tournament.
However, with the addition of Cooper Flagg this summer, the Mavericks look poised to compete with the best teams in the Western Conference, and if Davis remains healthy this season and Irving returns to form before the playoffs, they could be a scary team entering the postseason.
The Mavericks recently got an injury update on Davis, which bodes well for the upcoming season.
Anthony Davis Has Started Playing 5-On-5
Since joining the Mavericks last February, Davis hasn’t been able to catch a break. He’s missed time thanks to injuries to his abdomen, adductor, thigh, and groin. Most recently, in July, it was revealed that he would need eye surgery, putting the possibility of him playing in the season opener against the San Antonio Spurs in jeopardy.
The Spurs, headlined by Victor Wembanyama and Dylan Harper, are traveling to Dallas on October 22 to take on Davis and Flagg in a high-profile Texas showdown, although without both Davis and Irving on the court, the game won’t draw nearly as much attention.
While Flagg is still must-see TV and fans haven’t seen Wembanyama play since the All-Star Break, Davis brings established star power and is presently listed as questionable for that game.
However, according to insider Marc Stein, Davis has returned to full-contact five-on-five play for the first time since July, bringing a degree of optimism to the Dallas fanbase.
Mavericks’ Title Hopes Hinge on Davis’ Health
While Flagg projects to be the franchise player for Dallas moving forward, their immediate success hinges on Davis, Irving, and Klay Thompson.
All three are nearing the end of their primes, if they haven’t gotten there already, although they remain steady veteran players. Behind the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas is generally seen as the fourth-best team in the Western Conference, although that hinges heavily on Davis’ ability to stay on the court.
Since Davis was traded to the Lakers in 2019, he has averaged an impressive 24.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, making four All-Star games during that stretch. However, in the same span, he has missed 171 games.
If Davis can start the season healthy–which seems to be the expectation based on Stein’s report–and avoid a season-altering or ending injury, the Mavericks should be in a good spot moving forward.
However, with Davis’ injury history, any bruise or bump should not be taken lightly, and the Mavericks will need to hope that he can remain on the floor and effective, lest they rely on Flagg to keep their title hopes alive.
Flagg is immensely talented, although putting a winning season on the back of an 18-year-old rookie doesn’t inspire confidence in short-term success.