Anthony Davis Injury Scare: Nightmare Scenario for Mavericks

We were worried this would happen.

The Luka Doncic/Anthony Davis trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks raised more than a few eyebrows. The Doncic angle has been beaten to death over the last week. Conventional wisdom states that the Lakers made out like bandits by acquiring a 25-year-old superstar who is yet to hit his apex prime.

As for the Mavericks, Davis is a fair consolation prize in his own right. He’s also an All-NBA player and future Hall of Famer. At this point, one can make a case Davis is the best two-way player in the league.

All of that sounds great on paper. Reality paints a different picture. Davis has been riddled with various injuries over his career. He’s been able to remain relatively healthy over the last two seasons. When traded to Dallas, he had been dealing with a reported adductor strain.

In his first game with the Mavs versus the Houston Rockets, it was a dream start. Davis looked awesome — racking up 24 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. The Chicago native became the first player since 1996–97 to record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks in a half.

Davis was without a doubt the most dominant player on the floor. It was everything GM Nico Harrison could’ve dreamed of. Then, out of nowhere, Davis crumpled to the ground clutching his midsection during the second half.

Davis left the game courtesy of the non-contact injury and did not return. He’s currently being evaluated for what many believe to be a reaggravation of the adductor strain. There’s still some real ambiguity around the ailment. Some believe Davis could be out 4-6 weeks at a minimum. Others think it could be a situation where sports hernia surgery is required.

Either way, this is half of the nightmare scenario Mavs fans were worried about. Seeing the potential Davis has — only for it to disappear into thin air based on a rampant history of physical issues. If Davis is out for a prolonged period, it will be difficult for Dallas to maintain a top-six spot in the Western Conference.

The other half of the nightmare scenario involves Doncic. If he’s healthy and motivated to prove all the naysayers in the Dallas front office wrong, you could envision a scenario where the Lakers turn into immediate title contenders on the back of Doncic’s brilliance.

Either way, this is not an ideal scenario for the Mavs to deal with roughly a week after this trade occurred.