Less than a week after landing in Dallas, Anthony Davis’ fresh start with the Mavericks hit an unexpected roadblock as he suffered a groin injury in his debut. Unfortunately for both Davis and the Mavs, the injury will sideline him for multiple weeks. But, recently, 7x NBA champ Robert Horry dropped an update that might ease some concerns in Dallas.

Speaking on the ‘Big Shot Bob’ podcast, Horry broke down exactly how Davis got hurt. “I’m only about to have 40, 20, about to have triple doubles. And then one little step wrong,” he explained. “And that’s why I always tell you can’t get too high and you can’t get too low for games. Because when you’re too high for a game, you start moving a little bit fast and your body wants you to move. The next thing you know, you get something like this.”

However, Horry then flipped the script with a more optimistic outlook. “And I think what’s, what’s going to help him the most is we got All-Star break coming up. He can take some time off and play. I think he’ll be back before arriving right at the All-Star break,” he revealed.

His reasoning? “When you usually get that, you have a certain limp. When you walk off the court, he just walked out of the court. Like, eh, I’m hurting, but I’m going to go check this out.” When asked if Davis would need surgery, Horry confidently said, “No, I don’t think so.”

Meanwhile, Alongside Davis, Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, Dwight Powell, and Dereck Lively II are all on the injury report for Dallas. Fortunately, the All-Star break is near. This short stretch gives them some much-needed time to regroup and hopefully get healthier before making a strong push in the second half of the season.

As of now, the Mavericks sit at 29-26, holding the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. If the season ended today, they’d be headed for the Play-In Tournament. However, with just 5.5 games separating them from the No. 4 seed Houston Rockets, there’s still plenty of room for movement. However, there is more news about Davis’ injury.

More optimism in Anthony Davis’ injury update

Recently, NBA insider Marc Stein brought some encouraging news for Dallas and Anthony Davis fans. According to him, there is “tangible optimism” that Davis won’t need surgery.

“A firm treatment course and projected recovery timetable have still yet to be announced by the Mavericks … but there has been tangible optimism in Dallas this week that Anthony Davis (adductor strain) can avoid the surgical route,” Stein tweeted.

Before the setback, Davis was already making his presence felt on the court. In his Mavericks debut, he delivered an impressive stat line: 31 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks. His performance had fans buzzing about his potential to lead the team. But noe they have to wait. But how long?

Stein also reported that the Mavericks plan to proceed carefully with Davis’ recovery. “One source briefed on Anthony Davis’ recovery tells @TheSteinLine that no specific recovery timetable has yet been established beyond the determination that the Mavericks and Davis ‘will be cautious’ in pinpointing a return date,” he shared.

Still, if Davis manages to return shortly after the All-Star break, it could be a major boost for Dallas in their playoff push.