Dallas Mavericks’ best player for the next season is probably Anthony Davis. That is if he will be there for them.
The 10x All-Star played in the Mavs’ last game of the last season during play-in against the Memphis Grizzlies but it was revealed a month after that he suffered from a detached retina he suffered when he was still with the Los Angeles Lakers. This injury is something he has been dealing with since high school and prevents it from getting aggravated by wearing goggles from time to time.
NBA insider Shams Charania said early in July that the Mavs big man already underwent a surgery to repair his injured eye. How is he doing after almost almost six weeks? Looks like he will need more time,
Another insider Marc Stein revealed that Davis might not be ready for their opening game on October 22 against a yet to be named opponent.
Anthony Davis COULD miss the Mavericks opening night game on October 22nd, per @TheSteinLine
Davis is recovering from an eye procedure and is not fully back on the court yet
(Via @DLLS_Mavs) pic.twitter.com/ZMhW9Lb47b
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) September 11, 2025
x
Davis played just nine games last season for the Mavs after getting traded to them in February in exchange for Luka Doncic. He averaged a double double of 20 ppg and 10.1 rpg.
Cooper Flagg working on his own for chemistry with Anthony Davis
AD can be Dallas’ best player but the team on paper is stacked. He is surrounded with good players in Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson and some quality role players. They also got the first pick in Cooper Flagg.
The main issue they need to address is players availability.
Flagg is being resourceful. The veterans he will play with are yet to go back to the training camp and so, he is studying their movements through a video game.
Ronnie 2k of NBA2k6 revealed that the Mavs rookie is taking the initiative to get know his tendencies using the game.
“I’ve been talking to Cooper Flagg a lot the last couple of weeks, and he’s already trying to shape up how he’s going to fit into that team by playing the NBA2K26 game with him, integrated with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis,” Singh said.
“He might not get to play with Kyrie for a minute, so it’s kind of cool that he gets to simulate that, see how the off-the-ball movement is. Our AI is so good. It really simulates the authentic experience of being on the court.”
It will be a question whether this strategy will be effective. Nothing beats the real thing and Mavs should hope AD will be back soon.
For the latest Basketball Content
Make sure you are always updated on your favorite basketball players and teams. Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for the latest and trending news about NBA, college basketball, and more. Stay updated by reading more of our NBA articles by clicking here and college basketball by clicking here!
