NBA Rumors: The latest Anthony Davis update will likely leave Dallas Mavericks fans feeling gutted.
When the Dallas Mavericks made the bold move to trade for Anthony Davis (in exchange for Luka Doncic), the natural concern was whether he could remain healthy for the move to pay initial dividends for the team. Unlike anything that could've been scripted, AD suffered what appeared to be a pretty significant injury in the second half of his first game with the team.
The initial belief was that AD had avoided an injury that was going to need surgery but it also wasn't an insignificant one either. As the NBA All-Star break has arrived, an official update for AD has been reported. And it's one that should leave Mavericks fans gutted. According to a report from ESPN, AD is expected to miss at least four weeks with the injury (abductor strain). This is not good news for a team that is currently fighting for their playoff lives.
The Dallas Mavericks' uphill climb in the Western Conference
This injury hurts even more considering how well AD was playing during the first half of his debut with the team. Even though AD only played roughly half of that game, he had compiled 26 points, 16 points, and seven assists per game on 10-18 shooting from the field and a perfect 2-2 from 3-point range. In theory, AD should be considered a great fit next to Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, and the rest of the supporting cast.
At least for now, we're going to have to wait probably another month before we truly begin to see it play out for the Mavs. If AD were to miss only a month, that would mean he would return at some point in the middle of March. There's a chance that AD only misses 10-12 more games due to the All-Star break. But, again, that's if AD is able to return right at that four-week mark. If I had to guess, I'd say there's a better chance he misses more time than less.
Either way, the timeline will not be ideal for the Mavs. Even if AD returns for the final 15 games of the season, that's after four weeks, it could prove to be unrealistic to expect the Mavericks to hit their stride and ceiling this season. The AD injury is a huge gut punch for a team and is not going to help them as they continue to fight their way into playoff positioning.