Anthony Davis is finally back after six weeks! Despite a worrying injury in the first quarter, AD managed to guide the Dallas Mavericks to a 120-118 win over the Atlanta Hawks. It seems that he’s enjoying life in Dallas, playing as a 4 for the Mavs. And this is something that AD says brings him less stress compared to his time in Los Angeles.

Davis recorded a 34/15 double-double tonight, the best tally of his short Mavs career so far. And his efforts were pivotal in the Mavs getting the narrow victory over the Hawks tonight. But it all comes down to how freely he was able to play tonight, thanks to the backup he had from the Mavs’ front court. And AD was not shy in making that known to the media.

“Yeah, it makes my job easier,” Davis said. He added, “As far as defensively, I’m able to roam and just kind of like the safety, just kind of help everyone all over the floor. Offensively, man, we went ahead and just gaffed and lined right back. Had a lot of passing with one of those guys. So, a lot easier for me, honestly. Less stress. Guarding every pick and roll, being in every pick and roll. It’s good to have one of those guys on the floor with me.”

Clearly, AD is loving playing alongside the likes of Naji Marshall, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II. And this is a stark difference from his time at the Lakers. We recently learned that Jeanie Buss had no choice but to co-sign Davis’ trade after repeated complaints from him. And one of the major issues he had with the Lakers’ setup was having to play as a 5 for them. Moreover, it was as if the Lakers refused to bring in some backup to allow him to play the 4. This is seemingly not the case at the Mavericks.

Now, we know AD is ready to do whatever it takes to win. Even if that means playing center. But now, at the Mavs, it seems his coach, Jason Kidd, knows that letting Davis play where he wants will automatically lead to him performing better on the court.

Jason Kidd talks about the “advantage” Anthony Davis has as a 4

Nico Harrison, the GM of the Dallas Mavericks, revealed that he brought in AD to bolster the team’s defense. However, as he made this revelation, he called Davis “an All-Defensive center.” A huge faux pas for any fan of AD and seemingly a worrying omen back then. However,  ever since, whenever AD’s been healthy, coach Jason Kidd has always played him as a 4.

“He has the advantage no matter what four,” said the Mavs head coach about Anthony Davis as a power forward. Kidd reiterated his point, saying, “He always has the advantage.” And tonight’s dominant performance just proved Kidd’s words right. And it’s not hard to see why that’s the case.

At 6’11, 254lbs, AD is bigger than nearly every power forward out there. But on top of the size advantage he has, Davis is also deceptively skilled. And being able to outskill the opposition’s counterpart means he really does always have the advantage at the 4. Now that doesn’t mean he’s a slouch at center.

However, his size advantage is something he loses when he plays at the 5. We saw that happen in LA, so it seems Jason Kidd knows better than to waste the leverage he has over other teams with AD as a power forward. But you never know what the future brings. Maybe circumstances in the postseason will force Kidd’s hand and AD will have to go back to playing in a position he does not prefer.