Mavericks have made their stance on Anthony Davis crystal clear

Last season, less than a week before the NBA's trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. No one would've ever expected this move, and now, entering Davis's first full season with the Mavs, the team has made its stance on Davis and his position on the roster crystal clear.

With Dallas not trading Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II this offseason, they clearly believe in Davis's ability to play power forward, and it looks like the Mavs will be rolling with the double-big approach once again. Some fans speculated that the Mavs would trade Gafford this summer to add more backcourt depth, and even though Gafford's extension allowed him to remain trade-eligible, it doesn't look like they'll be trading him. He had his best season in the league last season, and now he and Lively II will continue to grow with Davis.

Jason Kidd began using double-big lineups during Davis's Mavericks debut, as he started Davis alongside Gafford, and Dallas was unstoppable. Even though Davis got hurt in the third quarter, he put together one of the most dominant Mavs debuts we've ever seen, and he and Gafford dominated the interior on both ends of the floor.

Mavericks like Anthony Davis at power forward over center

The American Airlines Center was buzzing for the 31 minutes that Davis played in that game, as he was drilling jumpers, finishing around and above the rim, and getting his teammates involved. Davis showed everyone in the arena exactly why he is a top-10 player in the league, with his defensive performance being one of the biggest takeaways.

Seemingly no one could score inside on the Mavs, and Gafford and Davis combined for nine blocks and 25 rebounds. This game, just under six months ago, had Mavs fans ecstatic about the rest of the season, but Davis's adductor injury derailed everything as he only ended up playing in nine games for Dallas.

This offseason, some fans worried that Dallas not trading Gafford may have been a bad idea, as they wanted Davis to play more center this upcoming season. There is a debate to be made that Davis is a better center than he is a power forward, but the Mavs have made it clear that they want to grant him his wish.

For years, Davis has made it known that he prefers to play power forward rather than center, and it sounds like he'll get to continue in that role heading into next season. At all times, when they're all healthy, the Mavericks will have either Davis, Gafford, or Lively II on the floor, and most of the time, it'll likely be Davis joined by either Lively II or Gafford.

Kidd, Nico Harrison, and the Mavericks seem all-in on running double-big lineups, and their offseason moves scream that. If they had any concerns about the potential of these lineups not working, they would have likely traded one of the bigs, but it seems like they had no interest in doing that.

Dallas has all of the confidence in the world in Davis being a franchise cornerstone as a power forward, and despite the drawbacks that come with him playing the four rather than the five, there are plenty of pros as well.

The Mavs are going to have one of the scariest frontlines in the NBA when Davis shares the floor with Cooper Flagg and one of the centers, and if Davis can remain healthy, he is going to have the chance to lead Dallas back to the playoffs. The Mavericks haven't missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons since 2019, and all eyes will be on Davis and company to help get them back to where they belong.