Why Anthony Davis? That question would have swarmed through the minds of Dallas Mavericks fans after the team participated in one of the most shocking NBA trades in history. After all, the Mavs cut ties with star player Luka Doncic to acquire the center. When asked, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison said “We feel that defense wins championships”. That might hold some merit, but the player has to be present first to put up a memorable defense. Judging from a recent update, even the GM may begin realizing the alleged error of his ways.

During the 3 quarter of his Mavs debut game, Anthony Davis had to leave after sustaining a lower-body injury. He went down without contact, grabbing his groin. After exiting, he was listed as doubtful and didn’t return for the duration of the game. Now, Marc Stein became the first reporter to break the news that Anthony Davis’s injury might cause him to be ‘OUT’ indefinitely! This means that the Mavericks will have to go through the remaining season without their recently acquired center. It means that Nico Harrison engaged in the trade, and sacrificed their star offensive player, for NOTHING! If the GM was unpopular before, then Marc Stein’s update has not done him any more favors.

After the Mavericks-Rockets matchup, Anthony Davis revealed that he had sustained the ailment in the “Groin—quad kind of area. It’s like right in there.” He further added, “My leg got tight, like a little spasm. I came back to try to get it loose while still dealing with the abdominal strain.” Despite this, Davis gave a positive update on his condition by stating, “But I managed to loosen it up, and it’s nothing serious. I’m fine.” He further added “I’m very confident. I feel great. Just take it a day at a time.” Even Mavs head coach Jason Kidd highlighted optimism by stating “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow”. Well, tomorrow is here, and things don’t look too good now, do they?

There is no denying that trading Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis had made Nico Harrison an unpopular figure. All one needs to do is just look at how Mavs fans protested over the last few days. Furthermore, it didn’t help that Davis was dealing with an adductor injury while he was still with the Lakers. He had missed the last few games with the LA franchise, before being traded, due to the ailment. Therefore, rushing him was not the best course to go with. For a while, all doubts evaporated as the Center scored 26 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 assists against the Houston Rockets. Unfortunately, they returned once the player exited in the 3 quarter. Now, the team has some things they need to figure out.

How can the Dallas Mavericks proceed without Anthony Davis?

According to RotoWire, Anthony Davis’s left adductor strain can force him to miss several weeks. This even includes his appearance in the All-Star game. For now, the Mavericks have to figure out how to go forward as they make a push toward securing a playoff qualifying seed. Therefore, in light of the center’s absence, other players like Naji Marshall, Dante Exum (Achilles), and Kessler Edwards can see an increase in their on-court minutes.

Naji Marshall has been putting out his best performance during the ongoing season. During his 40 appearances this season, the player has started in 14 games. On top of that, he averaged 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Marshall has been efficient on the shooting front too, having averaged 4.5-8.9 (50.6%) field goals, 0.9-2.9 (31.0%) 3-pointers, and 1.4-1.6 (86.2%) free throws.

Meanwhile, Kessler Edwards hasn’t been as efficient as the Mavs’ backup power forward. With 8.4 minutes of average playtime throughout 23 games, the player averaged 1.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. Dante Exum’s average score of 10.0 points 1.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists shows that he would be a more reliable individual. Unfortunately, the Mavs cannot use him until the player puts his injury woes behind him.

Do you believe that the Mavericks can make an impact even without Anthony Davis? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.