Dallas Mavericks fans are still processing the Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, which brought All-Star Anthony Davis to town.
Davis had an electrifying debut for Dallas but suffered an unfortunate injury.
“He was so determined to make such a strong first impression,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said. “He did that during that first half, he was dominant. He came back from that ab injury, perhaps a little bit early all that stuff is connected.
“At this point, the hope is that he won’t have to have surgery to repair this adductor strain. They don’t know that yet for certain. Multiple weeks to a month is going to be on the optimistic end of the possibilities for AD getting back on the floor for the Mavericks,” MacMahon concluded.
Davis put up 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks in 31 minutes in Dallas’ 116-105 win over the Houston Rockets.
He made a strong impression indeed, as he proved that he can elevate the team on both ends of the floor even without Doncic.
Davis is a dominant post scorer who can also extend his range beyond the arc, but his defensive impact is what motivated the Mavs to pull off the bold trade.
This trade likely wasn’t going to pay off this season because it’s hard to develop the requisite chemistry to go on a deep playoff run following an in-season trade of this magnitude, but a full training camp with this newly built roster could help make this new-look team become dangerous next season.
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