Anthony Davis gives Mavericks the 1 thing they never had with Luka Doncic

With the playoffs approaching fast and the regular season winding down to one game left, which will be played on Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks are in a tie for ninth place in the Western Conference. This would give them home-court advantage in the first round of the Play-In Tournament, but the Mavericks will need to beat the Memphis Grizzlies and hope the Sacramento Kings lose against the Phoenix Suns to achieve a home-court advantage.

While luck might be required for Dallas to achieve its wish of advancing to the playoffs, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers made their long-awaited return to Dallas on Wednesday. Fans not only showered Doncic in love and emotion but also left the door open for a possible reunion in the future.

Doncic's return would be a dream scenario for every Mavericks fan, but for now, they will need to endure the Slovenian superstar dropping bombs for the purple and gold, which he did against Dallas in his first game back.

Doncic scorched the Mavericks and reminded Nico Harrison why you don't trade young superstars for aging veterans. Despite all of Doncic's youth and offensive wizardry, Anthony Davis still has one thing he will never have throughout his career: lockdown defense.

Defense is one thing Dallas will never have to worry about with Davis

When acquiring Davis, the Mavericks knew they would be getting one of the decade's best defensive players due to his constant shot blocking and elite ability to guard in space. While Davis has yet to win a Defensive Player of the Year award, he has been in constant top-five voting for the prestigious award over the last five seasons.

Davis may not be the offensive juggernaut that Doncic can be at all times, but his elite shot blocking gives the Mavericks a new depth on defense that the team has yet to explore. Next season may be the only time Dallas witnesses Davis' full defensive potential, but Friday night's win over the Toronto Raptors could have been a small glimpse into what the former champion can bring to Dallas on the defensive end of the court.

Against Toronto, Davis recorded a near quadruple-double, which would have been the first in multiple decades. Davis's seven blocks were the most by any Mav in Friday's win, and it was in large part due to Davis being the help-side shot-blocker rather than the primary defender on what size the Raptors had.

Davis constantly rejected shots where Raptor players thought they had an open driving lane. This game should not only be one that Maverick fans hold their head up high on, but it should be an answer to how the Mavs look to build around Davis in the future.

Dallas must do everything they can to milk what all-star-level defense Davis can still play. Assuming the Mavericks build a competent defensive squad around Davis, the team could be in store for many historic nights on the defensive end.

While Doncic had his moments on the defensive end, what Davis will bring to Dallas will be much more consistent and reliable. Doncic still has yet to prove that he can withstand a full regular season and playoff run while playing tip-top defense, but with Davis now on the roster, shot blocking should never be a concerning problem.

The Mavericks have yet to see Davis throughout an extended period due to nagging injuries, but if the team can rebuild in the offseason and Davis rehabs over the summer, the Mavericks may be in store for a special season.