Anthony Davis is loving Mavericks' gift that Lakers foolishly denied him

The start of Anthony Davis' journey playing for the Dallas Mavericks went better than anyone could have expected after he was unexpectedly traded by the Los Angeles Lakers for Luka Doncic.

In Davis' Mavericks debut on February 8 against the Houston Rockets, he had 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks while shooting 10-18 from the field and 2-2 from downtown. Davis dominated in all parts of the game, but his afternoon ended in the third quarter as he suffered an adductor strain.

Mavericks fans were heartbroken to see him go down, but he's back and better now with just over a week remaining in the regular season. Davis has played in five of Dallas' last six games, with his best game coming against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. He finished with 34 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks, and although Dallas isn't playing for much right now, Davis is giving his all.

He is motivated to show Mavericks fans that he can hold down the fort, even with Doncic gone, and Dallas just happens to be giving Davis something that the Lakers mostly refused to give him during the end of his time there.

Dallas is letting Anthony Davis be himself on both ends, unlike LA

Davis prefers to play power forward over center, and that is exactly what he is getting to play in Dallas now that Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are healthy. After urging the Lakers to trade for a big this season and them not making a move, Davis stepped into a scenario in which he has two of the best rim protectors in the league to play alongside him. This doesn't mean that he'll never play center, as he closed at center for Dallas on Wednesday night, but it does mean that he'll primarily get to play his more natural position of power forward.

"It makes my job easier, as far as defensively, I’m able to roam and just kinda be like the free safety, just kinda help everybody on the floor," Davis said about playing power forward. "A lot easier for me, less stress as far as guarding every pick and roll, being in every pick and roll, it was good to have one of those guys with me on the floor with me at all times."

As Davis said, him playing power forward on defense allows him to roam free and not have to be set on protecting the rim at all times. He is one of the most gifted defenders in the NBA, and his help-side defense is something that often leaves opposing players in shambles due to his massive frame and incredible anticipation when blocking shots.

"Even just intimidation, you see sometimes he doesn't really go for the block," Spencer Dinwiddie said about Davis' defense. "He kinda just fakes and falls, and the person air balls a floater because they think he's coming. It just speaks to how much he can impact the game."

Davis' defense at the power forward spot is some of the best in the NBA, but his offensive game while playing the four can't be overlooked either.

Davis dominates when smaller fours try to defend him down low, and when slower bigs defend him, he stretches them out to the 3-point line. His playmaking, IQ, and face-up game make him a nightmare to slow down, and Mavericks fans are getting a glimpse of that already.

Davis is impossible to stop when his mid-range jumper is falling, and his lob passing has also been a strength since arriving in Dallas. He has connected on multiple lobs to Gafford so far, and Lively II even threw Davis a lob on Wednesday night. Davis is already looking like a great fit next to Lively II in the starting lineup, and he seems to be thrilled to be playing with two excellent bigs after what he experienced with the Lakers this season.

"We know how dominant we can be when we all healthy and available, it’s just about us going out there and enforcing our dominance," Davis said when asked about the trio of him with Lively II and Gafford.

It looks like Davis, Gafford, and Lively II will all be healthy entering the Play-In Tournament this week, and while it will be hard to claw out wins in the postseason, these few games will give fans a better look at how dominant the Mavs' frontcourt can be for years to come with Davis motivated and engaged. The Lakers won the NBA Finals in 2020 with Davis playing power forward, and Mavs fans will be hoping for the same outcome at some point within his Mavs journey.