The Dallas Mavericks took a big risk when they traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, and it hasn’t paid off so far. Davis had an excellent first half in his Mavericks debut on Feb. 8, but a third quarter adductor injury has kept him out since then and will continue to keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Davis’ recovery timeline has been murky, and it’s unclear when he will be able to get back on the court. While it looks like he can avoid surgery, the Mavericks aren’t saying much about when he could return to play according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
“The team has yet to announce a firm treatment course for Davis — whether or not surgery can be avoided in response to the adductor strain he sustained in his Mavericks bow against Houston on Feb. 8,” Stein wrote on Friday before confirming that the Mavericks had no update on Sunday night. “There has likewise been no projected recovery timetable publicly established by the Mavericks for Davis. It is believed that the absence of a publicly shared timetable is by design as Davis pursues a non-surgical route to recovery.
“One source close to the process told the The Stein Line on Wednesday that ‘no timetable’ has been established for Davis’ return to the lineup beyond the mutual determination reached by the Mavericks and the Davis camp that both parties ‘will be cautious’ in bringing him back.”
The Mavericks definitely need Davis if they want to compete for a championship, which general manager Nico Harrison said was a primary motivation for this trade. If the Mavericks can get into the playoffs healthy, they will be a very tough out for just about anybody.
Getting into the playoffs may become a big obstacle if Davis is forced to miss a lot of time. Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II are all out right now, leaving Dallas extremely thin in the front court for the time being. Teams will be able to beat up the Mavericks on the interior until they get at least one of those bigs back, which could make it difficult for them to climb the standings.
As it stands, the Mavericks are currently in eighth place in the Western Conference after two straight wins heading into the All-Star break. However, a challenging March schedule will make it difficult for them to continue to string wins together with this many injuries in the front court.
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